Altair - α Aquilae (alpha Aquilae)
Altair, also designated as α Aquilae (alpha Aquilae), is a multiple main-sequence star in the constellation of Aquila.
Altair visual magnitude is 0.77, making it the 12th brightest star in the sky. Thanks to its high brightness, Altair is clearly visible when observed from locations with dark skyes, and should be also quite easily visible from light polluted areas.
The table below summarizes the key facts about Altair:
Altair - α Aquilae (alpha Aquilae) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom .
Altitude: 1.8°
Azimuth: 282.1°
Direction: West-North-West
Celestial coordinates and finder chart of Altair
Altair is situated close to the celestial equator, as such, it is at least partly visible from both hemispheres in certain times of the year. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of Altair are provided in the following table:
The simplified sky map below shows the position of Altair in the sky:

Visibility of Altair from your location
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Today's Altair - α Aquilae (alpha Aquilae) rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
Digitized Sky Survey image of Altair
The image below is a photograph of Altair 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 Altair is 0.538 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and 0.386 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 1000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Distance of Altair from the Sun and relative movement
Altair is distant 16.77 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 26 kilometers per second.
Spectral properties of Altair
Altair belongs to spectral class A7 and has a luminosity class of V corresponding to a main-sequence star.
The red dot in the diagram below shows where Altair is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.

Altair star system properties
Altair is a visual double star which can be observed only with the help of very large telescopes. The table below shows key information about the Altair double sysyem: