- Stars with a name
- Alphard
Alphard
α Hydrae
Alphard is an orange giant, in the constellation Hydra. The light you see from it tonight left it around 1846.
Where to find it
From mid-northern latitudes, such as New York, Rome or Tokyo, it is best seen in the evening sky in February, March, and April.
Bright enough to see even from a city. Apparent magnitude 1.99.
What it’s like
It gives off 426 times as much light as the Sun.
Its surface temperature is about 3,600 degrees Celsius.
It is 180.3 light years away: 1706 trillion kilometres.