Blue-white subgiant · Lyra
Aladfar
Also known as: η Lyrae (η Lyr), HIP 94481
mag 4.41,400 light-years
About
Aladfar (η Lyrae) is a blue-white subgiant of magnitude 4.4 in Lyra, about 1,400 light-years away.
How to find it
- Aladfar is in the constellation Lyra.
- Best evenings: around late August it is highest at about 9 pm (10 pm in summer time); a month earlier, two hours later.
- Where on Earth: it is seen well, at least 10° up, from north of 41° S.
When it rises and sets tonight, how high it climbs and how much the Moon gets in the way are worked out in your browser for your place.
What you will see
- EyesVisible from the suburbs on a clear night, but lost in bright city skies.
- Binoculars (10×50)A sharp point; binoculars bring out its colour and the fainter stars around it.
- Telescope (6–8 inch)Still a point of light at any magnification — stars are too far away to show a disc. Low in the sky, bright stars twinkle and flash colours.
Stars look the same in any instrument: brighter and sharper, but never bigger.
Facts
| Proper name | Aladfar |
|---|---|
| Designation | η Lyrae (η Lyr) |
| Hipparcos number | HIP 94481 |
| Type | Blue-white subgiant |
| Spectral type | B2.5IV |
| Colour | Blue-whiteB−V colour index −0.15 |
| Magnitude | 4.4The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 1,400 light-yearsThe light you see left it around AD 600. Distances this large are uncertain by 10% or more. |
| Proper motion | 0.002″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Lyra |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 19h 13m 45.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +39° 08′ 46″ |
More in Lyra
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →