Sky of Your Day
  1. Stars with a name
  2. Alphecca

Alphecca

α Coronae Borealis

Alphecca is a white star, in the constellation Corona Borealis. The light you see from it tonight left it around 1951.

Where to find it

From mid-northern latitudes, such as New York, Rome or Tokyo, it is best seen in the evening sky in April, May, June, July, and August.

Bright enough to see even from a city. Apparent magnitude 2.22.

What it’s like

It gives off 60 times as much light as the Sun.

Its surface is at about 9,700 degrees.

It is 75.1 light years away: 710 trillion kilometres.

It is the star of people born around 1951: the light that left it then is reaching Earth now.

Other named stars in Corona Borealis