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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
north SunriseRise: 7:44  
clear_day Transit: 11:48  
SunsetSet: 15:51 south
sleep NighttimeWhat's Visible Now?
All Constellations » Aries » 

Hamal - α Arietis (alpha Arietis)

Altitude: 51.8°   Azimuth: 235.9°   Direction: South-West

Hamal, also designated as α Arietis (alpha Arietis), is a variable giant star in the constellation of Aries.

Hamal visual magnitude is 2, making it the 48th brightest star in the sky. Thanks to its high brightness, Hamal 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 Hamal:

2
Giant

Hamal - α Arietis (alpha Arietis) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 51.8°
Azimuth: 235.9°
Direction: South-West

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of Hamal

Hamal 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 Hamal are provided in the following table:

02h 07m 10s
+23° 27’ 44”
144.57°
-36.2°
Aries

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

Finder chart Hamal - α Arietis (alpha Arietis) star
Simplified finder chart for Hamal - α Arietis (alpha Arietis).

Visibility of Hamal 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 Hamal - α Arietis (alpha Arietis) 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: 66.5°
Max altitude: 62.0°
Azimuth: 293.5°

Digitized Sky Survey image of Hamal

The image below is a photograph of Hamal 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 Hamal is 0.19 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.148 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 1000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of Hamal - α Arietis (alpha Arietis) star
DSS2 image of Hamal. The red arrow shows the motion of Hamal during the next 1000 years (3.17 arcmin in Right Ascension and -2.47 arcmin in declination);

Distance of Hamal from the Sun and relative movement

Hamal is distant 65.89 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 14 kilometers per second.

20.21 pc
65.89 ly
-14 km/s
0.19 arcsec/year
-0.148 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of Hamal

Hamal belongs to spectral class K2 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

0.47
K2III
4409K

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

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

Alternative designations of Hamal

Hamal
α Arietis
(alpha Arietis)
SAO75151
SAO75151