- Stars with a name
- Hamal
Hamal
α Arietis
Hamal is an orange giant, in the constellation Aries. The light you see from it tonight left it around 1960.
Where to find it
From mid-northern latitudes, such as New York, Rome or Tokyo, it is best seen in the evening sky in January, September, October, November, and December.
Bright enough to see even from a city. Apparent magnitude 2.01.
What it’s like
It gives off 56 times as much light as the Sun.
Its surface is at about 4,400 degrees.
It is 65.8 light years away: 623 trillion kilometres.
It is the star of people born around 1960: the light that left it then is reaching Earth now.