Star profile
Iota Lyrae
Hot blue starWhat is Iota Lyrae
Iota Lyrae is a hot blue B-type star in the small Lyre, that constellation crowned in northern summer by Vega. About 896 light-years away, its sharp light crosses a far greater distance than its famous neighbour’s, arriving faint but unmistakably blue. It shares its sky with the Ring Nebula, M57, one of the most photographed remnants of the end of a Sun-like star; yet Iota, far hotter, is still walking the young half of its own road, with any farewell still very far ahead.
Where it is and when to see it
Iota 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 75° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 85° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 20° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 54° S.
It ranks no. 19 in brightness among the 37 stars of Lyra in our catalogue. To find it, start from Vega, the brightest: it lies about 7° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 900 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 Iota Lyrae
- Constellation
- Lyra
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.25
- Distance
- 896.2 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 286.826° · Dec 36.100°
- Catalogue
- HIP 93903 · HD 178475
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 930175.20
- 17 Lyrae5.20
- Nu 2 Lyrae5.22
- HIP 932565.26
- HIP 912355.41