Yellow-white subgiant · Corvus
Alchiba
Also known as: α Corvi (α Crv), HIP 59199
mag 4.049 light-years
About
Alchiba (α Corvi) is a yellow-white subgiant of magnitude 4.0 in Corvus, about 49 light-years away.
How to find it
- Alchiba is in the constellation Corvus.
- Best evenings: around early May 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 south of 55° N.
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 | Alchiba |
|---|---|
| Designation | α Corvi (α Crv) |
| Hipparcos number | HIP 59199 |
| Type | Yellow-white subgiant |
| Spectral type | F0IV/V |
| Colour | Yellowish whiteB−V colour index 0.33 |
| Magnitude | 4.0The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 49 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1977. |
| Proper motion | 0.11″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Corvus |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 12h 08m 24.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | −24° 43′ 44″ |
More in Corvus
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →