Star profile
Vega
Alpha Lyrae · Lyra
Nearby starWhat is Vega
Vega anchors the Summer Triangle, white and steady within Lyra —the lyre that, in myth, belonged to Orpheus and moved even the shades of Hades. Twelve thousand years ago it served as the northern pole star, and the slow precession of the equinoxes will return it to that throne in another fourteen thousand. In «Contact», Carl Sagan chose Vega as the source of humanity's first message from beyond: a fitting choice, for at 25 light-years it is almost a neighbour.
Where it is and when to see it
Vega lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is one of the brightest stars in the sky: visible even from a city. Its best month of the year is July, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it never sets and culminates about 77° up.
- From New York it culminates about 88° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 17° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 51° S.
It is the brightest of the 37 stars of Lyra in our catalogue, which makes it the best starting point for finding your way around the constellation.
The light you see today left it about 25 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Vega
- Constellation
- Lyra
- Apparent magnitude
- 0.03
- Distance
- 25.0 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 279.235° · Dec 38.784°
- Catalogue
- HIP 91262 · HD 172167
Vega is our demo star: the one every visitor sees. It is not for sale, but you can use it to try out how augmented reality works.
Try AR with VegaA 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.
- SulafatGamma Lyrae3.25
- SheliakBeta Lyrae3.52
- 13 Lyrae4.08
- Delta 2 Lyrae4.22
- Kappa Lyrae4.33
- Zeta 1 Lyrae4.34
- Theta Lyrae4.35
- AladfarEta Lyrae4.43