Star profile
Hamal
Alpha Arietis · Aries
What is Hamal
Hamal is the Alpha of Aries, the head of the celestial ram — its Arabic name «raʾs al-ḥamal» means exactly that. More than two thousand years ago it marked the spring equinox, lending its position to the «vernal point» that precession has since carried elsewhere. An orange K-class giant some 66 light-years away, it is an ageing star that has begun to swell and cool to the warm tone of a distant flame.
Where it is and when to see it
Hamal 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 Hamal
- Constellation
- Aries
- Apparent magnitude
- 2.01
- Distance
- 65.8 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 31.793° · Dec 23.462°
- Catalogue
- HIP 9884 · HD 12929
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Aries
Aries has 57 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- SheratanBeta Arietis2.64
- Bharani3.61
- MesarthimGamma 2 Arietis3.88
- BoteinDelta Arietis4.35
- HIP 155494.47
- Lilii Borea4.52
- Epsilon Arietis4.63
- 35 Arietis4.65