Star profile
Anser
Alpha Vulpecula · Vulpecula
Cool red starWhat is Anser
Anser shines in Vulpecula, 'the little fox', a small and relatively recent constellation traced in the seventeenth century by the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius. Its name, 'the goose', recalls that in the original drawing the fox carried a goose in its mouth. It is a cool red giant about 297 light-years away — the light crossing the sky tonight set out around 1728.
Where it is and when to see it
Anser 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: 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
Stelvia's sky works like a signature wall: anyone can leave their name and a message on a real star, and that signature goes up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.
A signature without a lock can be replaced by someone else's. The lock makes the signature permanent and lets you choose a symbolic name for the star, always shown next to the star's catalogue identifier. How the lock works
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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 Anser
- Constellation
- Vulpecula
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.44
- Distance
- 297.4 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 292.176° · Dec 24.665°
- Catalogue
- HIP 95771 · HD 183439
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Vulpecula
Vulpecula has 44 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- 23 Vulpecula4.50
- 31 Vulpecula4.56
- 13 Vulpecula4.57
- 15 Vulpecula4.66
- 1 Vulpecula4.76
- HIP 998244.79
- 29 Vulpecula4.81
- 12 Vulpecula4.90