Star profile
Alrescha
Alpha Piscium · Pisces
Variable starWhat is Alrescha
Alrescha is the main light of Pisces, 150 light-years away, and precisely the star at which the two ribbons binding the mythological fish are tied. Its Arabic name «al-rishāʾ» means «the cord» or «the knot», for that very reason. It is a variable A-type system; seen up close, it splits into two white companions that have been turning slowly, bound by gravity, for aeons.
Where it is and when to see it
Alrescha lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is October: the Sun sits at the opposite point of the sky and the star culminates around midnight. How high it climbs above the horizon depends on the latitude you watch from.
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The signature wall
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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 Alrescha
- Constellation
- Pisces
- Apparent magnitude
- 3.82
- Distance
- 150.6 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 30.512° · Dec 2.764°
- Catalogue
- HIP 9487 · HD 12446
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Pisces
Pisces has 79 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- AlphergEta Piscium3.62
- Gamma Piscium3.70
- Omega Piscium4.03
- Iota Piscium4.13
- TorcularOmicron Piscium4.26
- Theta Piscium4.27
- Epsilon Piscium4.27
- 30 Piscium4.37