Algieba: how to find it and when to see it
Algieba ranks 48th of the 74 bright stars on our list, at magnitude 2.01, in the constellation Leo.
You can see it from anywhere north of 70° S, and it's highest in the evening sky in April.
Algieba at a glance
- Constellation
- Leo
- Magnitude
- 2.01
- Rank on our list
- 48 of 74
- Hemisphere
- Northern
- Right ascension
- 10 h 20 min
- Declination
- 19.8° north
- Visible from
- north of 70° S
- Never sets
- north of 70° N
- Best evening
- April 11
- Name from
- Arabic
Where Algieba is in the sky
Algieba sits 19.8° north of the celestial equator, the line in the sky directly above Earth's equator, so it's in the northern half of the sky. Its right ascension is 10 h 20 min.
Right ascension works like longitude on the sky. It's counted in hours, and about one hour of it turns past you each hour of the night.
When and where to see Algieba
From the northern hemisphere
From 40° N, the latitude of New York, Madrid and Beijing, Algieba rises in the north-east, climbs to 70° above the horizon in the south and sets in the north-west.
It's in the evening sky from January to July, and it's highest in the evening around April 11, in spring.
From the southern hemisphere
From 34° S, the latitude of Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires, Algieba rises in the north-east, climbs to 36° above the horizon in the north and sets in the north-west.
It's in the evening sky from February to May, and it's highest in the evening around April 11, in autumn.
How high Algieba climbs from each latitude
The evening is about 9 pm local time, or 10 pm in summer time, and later when the sky is still too bright. A star counts as in the evening sky when it's at least 10° above the horizon.
| Latitude | Visibility | Highest point | Evening sky |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60° N | Rises and sets | 50° in the south | Jan to Jun |
| 50° N | Rises and sets | 60° in the south | Jan to Jul |
| 40° N | Rises and sets | 70° in the south | Jan to Jul |
| 30° N | Rises and sets | 80° in the south | Jan to Jun |
| 20° N | Rises and sets | Overhead | Jan to Jun |
| Equator | Rises and sets | 70° in the north | Feb to Jun |
| 20° S | Rises and sets | 50° in the north | Feb to Jun |
| 34° S | Rises and sets | 36° in the north | Feb to May |
| 45° S | Rises and sets | 25° in the north | Mar to May |
What the name Algieba means
Algieba comes from the Arabic al-jabhah, the forehead.
Keep the sky of a night that matters
Our star maps show the stars above any place, at the minute you choose, with the constellation lines drawn in. If Algieba was above the horizon that night, it's on your map, and we print it on museum-grade paper.
Questions about Algieba
Algieba is in Leo. It sits 19.8° north of the celestial equator, at a right ascension of 10 h 20 min.
Algieba is highest in the evening sky around April 11. That's spring in the northern hemisphere and autumn in the southern hemisphere.
Yes, from anywhere north of 70° S. From 34° S, it climbs to 36° above the horizon in the north.
Algieba has a magnitude of 2.01, which ranks it 48th of the 74 bright stars on our list. Sirius looks about 24 times brighter.
Algieba comes from the Arabic al-jabhah, the forehead.