Star profile
Mu Lyrae
What is Mu Lyrae
Mu Lyrae accompanies the Lyre, the small constellation dominated by dazzling Vega. It is a white A-type star at 439 light-years —discreet beside its famous neighbour, yet part of the same figure the ancient Greeks tied to the instrument of Orpheus. Its light reaches the boreal summer firmament without stridency, almost like a sustained chord in the background.
Where it is and when to see it
Mu Lyrae lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is July, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it never sets and culminates about 78° up.
- From New York it culminates about 89° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 17° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 50° S.
It ranks no. 15 in brightness among the 37 stars of Lyra in our catalogue. To find it, start from Vega, the brightest: it lies about 3° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 440 years ago.
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Leave your signature on Mu Lyrae
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A public signature from a real person. The chosen name is a symbolic denomination within Stelvia, with no official standing or IAU recognition: the sky is not for sale and belongs to no one.
Astronomical data for Mu Lyrae
- Constellation
- Lyra
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.11
- Distance
- 439.0 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 276.057° · Dec 39.507°
- Catalogue
- HIP 90191 · HD 169702
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Lyra
Lyra has 37 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- VegaAlpha Lyrae0.03
- SulafatGamma Lyrae3.25
- SheliakBeta Lyrae3.52
- HIP 920884.83
- Lambda Lyrae4.94
- 16 Lyrae5.00
- HIP 930175.20
- 17 Lyrae5.20