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public  Greenwich, UK Greenwich, UK  ⓘ
TimezoneEurope/London
Sunrise: 7:18 
Transit: 12:46 
Sunset: 18:13
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Lyra (The Lyre) Constellation

Above the horizon.  Rise: 8:18 | Tran: 18:32 | Set: 4:50
Alt: 43.26°   Az: 275.93°   Direction: West

Lyra (pronounced ˈlaɪrə) is the Latin name of a constellation situated north of the celestial equator. As such, it is more easily visible from the northern hemisphere.

In English language this constellation is also known as "The Lyre" while in astronomical texts and literature this constellation is often abbreviated as "Lyr" (according to the standard of the International Astronomical Union - IAU) or as "Lyra" (according to a naming convention used by NASA).

The Latin genitive of the constellation name is "Lyrae" (pronounced ˈlaɪriː) and it is used to identify some of the brightest stars in this constellation based on the Bayer or Flamsteed star naming convention. For instance: α Lyrae (the brightest star of Lyra based on the Bayer catalog); or 23 Lyrae (the 23th star in the constellation of Lyra based on the Flamsteed catalog).

Lyra is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK. Altitude: 43°.
Available Resources for Lyra

Sky Chart of Lyra Constellation

Here we provide a simplified sky chart of the Lyra constellation. Alternatively it is possible to locate Lyra in the night sky using our Online Interactive Planetarium.

Chart of  constellation
This constellation image is derivatve work based on original work by IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine (Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg) CC-BY-3.0.

Visibility of Lyra Constellation

Location: Greenwich, UK
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London

Today's Lyra rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, UK are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 54.3°
Max altitude: 74.2°
Azimuth: 305.7°
Lyra is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK

The rise and set times provided here are just directional indications and they refer to a point approximately placed at the center of the constellation. In case of very large constellations these times can have little relevance.

Bright Stars in Lyra Constellation

The table below lists the top 20 brightest stars in the Lyra constellation. See also the complete list of 80 stars brighter than magnitude 6.5 (approximate) in the constellation of Lyra. Click on each star to see more details about it.

HR Number(*) Star designation Proper name Visual magnitude Color Notes
HR7001 α Lyrae Vega 0.03 Variable; Multiple;
HR7178 γ Lyrae Sulafat 3.24 Variable; Multiple;
HR7106 β Lyrae Sheliak 3.45 Variable; Multiple;
HR7157 13 Lyrae 4.04 Variable;
HR7139 δ2 Lyrae 4.3 Variable; Multiple;
HR6872 κ Lyrae 4.33 Variable;
HR7056 ζ1 Lyrae 4.36 Variable; Multiple;
HR7314 θ Lyrae 4.36 Variable; Multiple;
HR7298 η Lyrae Aladfar 4.39 Variable; Multiple;
HR7064 4.83
HR7192 λ Lyrae 4.93 Variable;
HR7215 16 Lyrae 5.01 Variable; Multiple;
HR6903 μ Lyrae 5.12
HR7162 5.22 Multiple;
HR7261 17 Lyrae 5.23 Multiple;
HR7102 ν2 Lyrae 5.25 Double;
HR7181 5.27
HR7262 ι Lyrae 5.28
HR7054 ε2 Lyrae 5.37 Variable; Multiple;
HR6997 5.42 Variable; Double;
...go to the complete list of 80 bright stars in the constellation of Lyra

(*) HR stands for Harvard Revised Bright Star Catalogue, which is also known as the Yale Catalogue of Bright Stars.

Deep Sky Objects in Lyra Constellation

The table below lists the 20 brightest deep sky objects in the Lyra constellation. See also the complete list of 42 deep sky objects in the constellation of Lyra. The list includes objects from the Messier, New General Catalogue (NGC) and Index Catalogue (IC).

Name Type Magnitude
NGC 6743 Open Cluster 8.2 (B)
Messier 56 Globular Cluster 8.4 (V)
Messier 57 (Ring Nebula) Planetary Nebula 8.8 (V)
NGC 6791 Open Cluster 9.5 (V)
NGC 6703 Galaxy 11.34 (V)
NGC 6765 Planetary Nebula 12.9 (V)
NGC 6702 Galaxy 13.05 (V)
NGC 6745 NED01 Galaxy 13.3 (B)
NGC 6675 Galaxy 13.3 (B)
NGC 6792 Galaxy 13.4 (B)
NGC 6695 Galaxy 13.49 (V)
NGC 6646 Galaxy 13.7 (B)
NGC 6671 Galaxy 13.8 (B)
NGC 6688 Galaxy 13.9 (B)
NGC 6657 Galaxy 14.2 (B)
NGC 6700 Galaxy 14.2 (B)
NGC 6713 Galaxy 14.2 (B)
NGC 6640 Galaxy 14.2 (B)
NGC 6692 Galaxy Pair 14.3 (B)
IC 1288 Galaxy 14.3 (B)
...go to the complete list of 42 deep sky objects in the constellation of Lyra