Star profile

Alshain

Beta Aquilae · Aquila

Nearby star

3D likeness based on its real data · class G · ~5,500 K

What is Alshain

Alshain accompanies Altair in the celestial Eagle and shares its closeness: only 44 light years separate us from this yellow G-class star. Its name comes from a Persian original, «shahin tarazu», the balancing falcon, that symbolically weighed the bird alongside its two companions. It is a temperate sister of the Sun, near enough to feature on any map of stellar neighbourhoods.

Where it is and when to see it

Alshain 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 45° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 56° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 50° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 84° S.

It ranks no. 7 in brightness among the 72 stars of Aquila in our catalogue. To find it, start from Altair, the brightest: it lies about 3° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 45 years ago.

Find it on the sky map

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Leave your signature on Alshain

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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 Alshain

Constellation: Aquila
Apparent magnitude: 3.71
Distance: 44.7 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 298.828° · Dec 6.407°
Catalogue: HIP 98036 · HD 188512

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.

See all 72 stars in Aquila