Star profile

Albireo

Beta 1 Cygni · Cygnus

3D likeness based on its real data · class K · ~4,200 K

What is Albireo

Albireo marks the head of the Swan and, viewed through even a modest telescope, splits into one of amateur astronomy's most beloved sights: a golden companion paired with a blue one, a perfect chromatic couple. The principal component, an orange K-class giant, shines from about 434 light-years away. Its name, twisted by medieval copyists, holds no coherent meaning in Arabic: a ghost word born of error that tradition came to honour anyway.

Where it is and when to see it

Albireo 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 66° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 77° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 28° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 62° S.

It ranks no. 5 in brightness among the 137 stars of Cygnus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Deneb, the brightest: it lies about 22° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 430 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 Albireo

Constellation: Cygnus
Apparent magnitude: 3.05
Distance: 434.4 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 292.680° · Dec 27.960°
Catalogue: HIP 95947 · HD 183912

A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.

Other stars in Cygnus

Cygnus has 137 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 137 stars in Cygnus