Yellow-white subgiant · Triangulum
Mothallah
Also known as: α Trianguli (α Tri), HIP 8796
mag 3.463 light-years
About
Mothallah (α Trianguli) is a yellow-white subgiant of magnitude 3.4 in Triangulum, about 63 light-years away.
How to find it
- Mothallah is in the constellation Triangulum.
- Best evenings: around early December 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 50° 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 | Mothallah |
|---|---|
| Designation | α Trianguli (α Tri) |
| Hipparcos number | HIP 8796 |
| Type | Yellow-white subgiant |
| Spectral type | F6IV |
| Colour | YellowB−V colour index 0.49 |
| Magnitude | 3.4The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 63 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1963. |
| Proper motion | 0.23″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Triangulum |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 01h 53m 04.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | +29° 34′ 44″ |
More in Triangulum
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →