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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: 6:04  
clear_day Transit: 12:06  
SunsetSet: 18:09
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All Constellations » Corona Borealis » 

Alphecca - α Coronae Borealis (alpha Coronae Borealis)

Altitude: 63.9°   Azimuth: 157.4°   Direction: South-South-East

Alphecca, also designated as α Coronae Borealis (alpha Coronae Borealis), is a variable hypergiant star in the constellation of Corona Borealis.

Alphecca visual magnitude is 2.23, making it the 66th brightest star in the sky. Thanks to its high brightness, Alphecca is clearly visible when observed from locations with dark skies, and should be also quite easily visible from light polluted areas.

The proper motion of Alphecca is 0.121 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.089 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 1000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of Alphecca - α Coronae Borealis (alpha Coronae Borealis) star
DSS2 image of Alphecca. The red arrow shows the motion of Alphecca during the next 1000 years (2.02 arcmin in Right Ascension and -1.48 arcmin in declination);

Key facts about Alphecca

2.23
Hypergiant

Alphecca - α Coronae Borealis (alpha Coronae Borealis) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 63.9°
Azimuth: 157.4°
Direction: South-South-East

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of Alphecca

Alphecca 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 Alphecca are provided in the following table:

15h 34m 41s
+26° 42’ 52”
41.87°
53.77°
Corona Borealis

The simplified sky map below shows the position of Alphecca in the sky:

Finder chart Alphecca - α Coronae Borealis (alpha Coronae Borealis) star
Simplified finder chart for Alphecca - α Coronae Borealis (alpha Coronae Borealis).

Visibility of Alphecca 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 Alphecca - α Coronae Borealis (alpha Coronae Borealis) 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: 63.3°
Max altitude: 65.2°
Azimuth: 296.7°

Distance of Alphecca from the Sun and relative movement

Alphecca is distant 74.68 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 2 kilometers per second.

22.91 pc
74.68 ly
2 km/s
0.121 arcsec/year
-0.089 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of Alphecca

Alphecca belongs to spectral class A0 and has a luminosity class of V corresponding to a hypergiant star.

0.43
A0V
10382K

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

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

Alternative designations of Alphecca

Alphecca
α Coronae Borealis
(alpha Coronae Borealis)
5 Coronae Borealis
SAO83893
SAO83893