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A Complete Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
SunriseRise: 5:57  
clear_day Transit: 12:57  
SunsetSet: 19:59
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now?
All Constellations » Lynx » 

α Lyncis (alpha Lyncis)

Altitude: 23.5°   Azimuth: 63.7°   Direction: East-North-East

α Lyncis is a variable giant star in the constellation of Lynx.

α Lyncis visual magnitude is 3.13. Because of its moderate brightness, α Lyncis should be easily visible from locations with dark skies, while it can be barely visible, or not visible at all, from skies affected by light pollution.

The proper motion of α Lyncis is -0.221 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and 0.019 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 1000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of α Lyncis (alpha Lyncis) star
DSS2 image of α Lyncis. The red arrow shows the motion of α Lyncis during the next 1000 years (-3.68 arcmin in Right Ascension and 0.32 arcmin in declination);

Key facts about α Lyncis

3.13
Giant

α Lyncis (alpha Lyncis) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 23.5°
Azimuth: 63.7°
Direction: East-North-East

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of α Lyncis

α Lyncis is situated north of the celestial equator, as such, it is more easily visible from the northern hemisphere. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of α Lyncis are provided in the following table:

09h 21m 03s
+34° 23’ 32”
190.24°
44.73°
Lynx

The simplified sky map below shows the position of α Lyncis in the sky:

Finder chart α Lyncis (alpha Lyncis) star
Simplified finder chart for α Lyncis (alpha Lyncis).

Visibility of α Lyncis from your location

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

Today's α Lyncis (alpha Lyncis) rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 55.6°
Max altitude: 72.9°
Azimuth: 304.4°

Distance of α Lyncis from the Sun and relative movement

α Lyncis is distant 221.92 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 38 kilometers per second.

68.07 pc
221.92 ly
38 km/s
-0.221 arcsec/year
0.019 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of α Lyncis

α Lyncis belongs to spectral class K7 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

-1.03
K7III
3720K

The red dot in the diagram below shows where α Lyncis is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.

HR Diagram
H-R diagram showing the position of α Lyncis. Attribution: Richard Powell / CC BY-SA

Alternative designations of α Lyncis

α Lyncis
(alpha Lyncis)
SAO61414
SAO61414