Star profile
Epsilon 1 Lyrae
What is Epsilon 1 Lyrae
Epsilon-1 Lyrae belongs to the celebrated quadruple system known as «the double-double», 162 light-years away, close to brilliant Vega. To the unaided eye it appears as a single star; binoculars split it into two, and each component, viewed through a modest telescope, splits again into another pair. It is one of the classic spectacles of the summer sky and a perennial favourite of amateur astronomers.
Where it is and when to see it
Epsilon 1 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 16° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 50° S.
It ranks no. 11 in brightness among the 37 stars of Lyra in our catalogue. To find it, start from Vega, the brightest: it lies about 2° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 160 years ago.
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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 Epsilon 1 Lyrae
- Constellation
- Lyra
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.67
- Distance
- 162.4 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 281.085° · Dec 39.670°
- Catalogue
- HIP 91919 · HD 173582
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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
- Theta Lyrae4.35
- AladfarEta Lyrae4.43
- Epsilon 2 Lyrae4.59
- HIP 920884.83
- Lambda Lyrae4.94