α Lyncis (alpha Lyncis)

Altitude: 7.1° Azimuth: 319.3° Direction: North-West

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 skyes, while it can be barely visible, or not visible at all, from skyes affected by light pollution.

The table below summarizes the key facts about α Lyncis:

Color of α Lyncis ⬤

Magnitude of α Lyncis 3.13

Class Giant

VISIBILITY RIGHT NOW

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

Altitude: 7.1°
Azimuth: 319.3°
Direction: North-West

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:

Right Ascension J2000 09h 21m 03s

Declination J2000 +34° 23’ 32”

Galactic Longitude 190.24°

Galactic Latitude 44.73°

Constellation 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° RISE 18:12

Max altitude: 72.9° TRANSIT 4:10

Azimuth: 304.4° SET 14:04

Digitized Sky Survey image of α Lyncis

The image below is a photograph of α Lyncis from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2 - see the credits section) taken in the red channel. The area of sky represented in the image is 0.5x0.5 degrees (30x30 arcmins). 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.

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);

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.

Distance (parsec) 68.07 pc

Distance (light year) 221.92 ly

Heliocentric radial velocity 38 km/s

Proper Motion RA -0.221 arcsec/year

Proper Motion Dec 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.

Absolute magnitude -1.03

Spectral Type K7III

Color Index (B-V) 1.55

Temperature of α Lyncis 3720K

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

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

Alternative designations of α Lyncis

Bayer designation α Lyncis
(alpha Lyncis)

Flamsteed designation 40 Lyncis

Henry Draper Catalogue HD80493

SAO Catalogue SAO61414

Hipparcos Catalogue HIP45860

Durchmusterung Catalogue BD+35 1979

FK5 Catalogue 352

General Catalogue of Variable Stars 4456

Support us

In Evidence

Other stars in Lynx