Star profile
Zeta 2 Lyrae
What is Zeta 2 Lyrae
Zeta-2 Lyrae is a white subgiant spinning at 212 km/s, fast enough to broaden its spectral lines. It belongs to a multiple system that some studies suggest may hold up to seven components, hidden 156 light-years away inside the small Lyre: the same constellation that holds Vega, one of the brightest stars in the northern sky.
Where it is and when to see it
Zeta 2 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 culminates about 76° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 87° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 19° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 52° S.
It ranks no. 31 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 Zeta 2 Lyrae
- Constellation
- Lyra
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.73
- Distance
- 155.6 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 281.201° · Dec 37.595°
- Catalogue
- HIP 91973 · HD 173649
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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
- HIP 927685.64
- HIP 918835.68
- HIP 933935.69
- HIP 953525.85
- HIP 946305.88