Star profile
21 Vulpecula
Variable starWhat is 21 Vulpecula
21 Vulpeculae is a white A-type variable at the heart of small Vulpecula, hidden near the famous Coathanger asterism (Brocchi's Cluster). It glows 297 light-years away with the cool, clean light typical of A-type stars, whose spectra are dominated by hydrogen lines. Its subtle variability earned it a place in specialised catalogues, even if to the naked eye it looks like just another faint point in that stretch of the summer sky.
Where it is and when to see it
21 Vulpecula lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is August, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it culminates about 67° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 78° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 27° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 61° S.
It ranks no. 17 in brightness among the 44 stars of Vulpecula in our catalogue. To find it, start from Anser, the brightest: it lies about 11° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 300 years ago.
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Astronomical data for 21 Vulpecula
- Constellation
- Vulpecula
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.19
- Distance
- 297.4 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 303.561° · Dec 28.695°
- Catalogue
- HIP 99738 · HD 192518
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Other stars in Vulpecula
Vulpecula has 44 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- AnserAlpha Vulpecula4.44
- 23 Vulpecula4.50
- 31 Vulpecula4.56
- 17 Vulpecula5.08
- 4 Vulpecula5.14
- 22 Vulpecula5.18
- 3 Vulpecula5.22
- 16 Vulpecula5.23