Star profile
Alsafi
Sigma Draco · Draco
Nearby starWhat is Alsafi
Alsafi is an orange star just 18.8 light-years from the Earth, a very close neighbour set in the tail of Draco, one of the oldest constellations of the northern hemisphere sky. Its name comes from the Arabic «al-athafi», the copper tripods on which a Bedouin camp's cooking pot rested above the open fire during the long, cold nights spent in the open desert. It is among the most closely studied Sun-like stars by modern astronomers, prized for its advanced age and its remarkably quiet behaviour throughout the period of recorded observation.
Where it is and when to see it
Alsafi 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
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 Alsafi
- Constellation
- Draco
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.67
- Distance
- 18.8 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 293.087° · Dec 69.661°
- Catalogue
- HIP 96100 · HD 185144
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Draco
Draco has 122 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- EltaninGamma Draco2.24
- AthebyneEta Draco2.73
- RastabanBeta Draco2.79
- 10 Draco4.58
- Pi Draco4.60
- Omicron Draco4.63
- Omega Draco4.77
- 45 Draco4.77