Blue-white giant · Lyra
Sulafat
Also known as: γ Lyrae (γ Lyr), HIP 93194
mag 3.3620 light-years
About
Sulafat (γ Lyrae) is a blue-white giant of magnitude 3.3 in Lyra, about 620 light-years away.
How to find it
- Sulafat 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 47° 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 | Sulafat |
|---|---|
| Designation | γ Lyrae (γ Lyr) |
| Hipparcos number | HIP 93194 |
| Type | Blue-white giant |
| Spectral type | B9III |
| Colour | WhiteB−V colour index −0.05 |
| Magnitude | 3.3The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 620 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1410. |
| Proper motion | 0.003″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Lyra |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 58m 56.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | +32° 41′ 23″ |
More in Lyra
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →