Star profile
Sigma Aquilae
Variable starWhat is Sigma Aquilae
Sigma Aquilae is an eclipsing binary some 780 light-years away, made of two near-twin blue B3 V stars that eclipse each other every 1.95 days with clockwork precision. The primary burns at 18,493 K, radiates 1,862 times the Sun's light and carries 5.8 solar masses. Each eclipse dims the pair by two-tenths of a magnitude: a regular pulse at the heart of the Eagle, discovered in the early twentieth century and refined ever since.
Where it is and when to see it
Sigma Aquilae 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 Sigma Aquilae
- Constellation
- Aquila
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.18
- Distance
- 780.4 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 294.799° · Dec 5.398°
- Catalogue
- HIP 96665 · HD 185507
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Aquila
Aquila has 72 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- AltairAlpha Aquilae0.76
- TarazedGamma Aquilae2.72
- OkabZeta Aquilae2.99
- Omicron Aquilae5.12
- 21 Aquilae5.14
- 31 Aquilae5.17
- 19 Aquilae5.23
- 11 Aquilae5.27