Star profile
Aladfar
Eta Lyrae · Lyra
Hot blue starWhat is Aladfar
Aladfar burns 1,388 light-years away in Lyra, a blue class-B star whose light takes longer to reach us than the whole of recorded European history. Its name derives from the Arabic «al-athafi», the talons, and once referred to the claws of the neighbouring eagle rather than to the lyre itself. Aladfar is among the most distant traditionally named stars from the solar system: when its light set out, the Byzantine emperors still reigned in Constantinople.
Where it is and when to see it
Aladfar 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 88° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 17° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 51° S.
It ranks no. 9 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 1,400 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 Aladfar
- Constellation
- Lyra
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.43
- Distance
- 1388.1 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 288.440° · Dec 39.146°
- Catalogue
- HIP 94481 · HD 180163
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
- Kappa Lyrae4.33
- Zeta 1 Lyrae4.34
- Theta Lyrae4.35
- Epsilon 2 Lyrae4.59
- Epsilon 1 Lyrae4.67