Blue-white giant · Pegasus
Markab
Also known as: α Pegasi (α Peg), HIP 113963
mag 2.5130 light-years
About
Markab (α Pegasi) is a blue-white giant of magnitude 2.5 in Pegasus, about 130 light-years away.
How to find it
- Markab is in the constellation Pegasus.
- Best evenings: around late October 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 65° S.
- Star patterns: Great Square of Pegasus.
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
- EyesEasy, even from town.
- 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 | Markab |
|---|---|
| Designation | α Pegasi (α Peg) |
| Hipparcos number | HIP 113963 |
| Type | Blue-white giant |
| Spectral type | B9.5III |
| Colour | WhiteB−V colour index 0.00 |
| Magnitude | 2.5The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 130 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1890. |
| Proper motion | 0.074″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Pegasus |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 23h 04m 45.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +15° 12′ 19″ |
More in Pegasus
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →