Alpheratz: how to find it and when to see it
Alpheratz ranks 53rd of the 74 bright stars on our list, at magnitude 2.07, in the constellation Andromeda.
You can see it from anywhere north of 61° S, and it's highest in the evening sky in November.
Alpheratz at a glance
- Constellation
- Andromeda
- Magnitude
- 2.07
- Rank on our list
- 53 of 74
- Hemisphere
- Northern
- Right ascension
- 0 h 8 min
- Declination
- 29.1° north
- Visible from
- north of 61° S
- Never sets
- north of 61° N
- Best evening
- November 7
- Name from
- Arabic
Where Alpheratz is in the sky
Alpheratz sits 29.1° 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 0 h 8 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 Alpheratz
From the northern hemisphere
From 40° N, the latitude of New York, Madrid and Beijing, Alpheratz rises in the north-east, climbs to 79° above the horizon in the south and sets in the north-west.
It's in the evening sky from August to February, and it's highest in the evening around November 7, in autumn.
From the southern hemisphere
From 34° S, the latitude of Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires, Alpheratz rises in the north-east, climbs to 27° above the horizon in the north and sets in the north-west.
It's in the evening sky from October to December, and it's highest in the evening around November 7, in spring.
How high Alpheratz 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 | 59° in the south | Jun to Feb |
| 50° N | Rises and sets | 69° in the south | Aug to Feb |
| 40° N | Rises and sets | 79° in the south | Aug to Feb |
| 30° N | Rises and sets | 89° in the south | Aug to Jan |
| 20° N | Rises and sets | 81° in the north | Aug to Jan |
| Equator | Rises and sets | 61° in the north | Sep to Jan |
| 20° S | Rises and sets | 41° in the north | Sep to Dec |
| 34° S | Rises and sets | 27° in the north | Oct to Dec |
| 45° S | Rises and sets | 16° in the north | Oct to Nov |
What the name Alpheratz means
Alpheratz comes from the Arabic surrat al-faras, the navel of the horse. The star joins Andromeda to Pegasus, the winged horse.
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 Alpheratz was above the horizon that night, it's on your map, and we print it on museum-grade paper.
Questions about Alpheratz
Alpheratz is in Andromeda. It sits 29.1° north of the celestial equator, at a right ascension of 0 h 8 min.
Alpheratz is highest in the evening sky around November 7. That's autumn in the northern hemisphere and spring in the southern hemisphere.
Yes, from anywhere north of 61° S. From 34° S, it climbs to 27° above the horizon in the north.
Alpheratz has a magnitude of 2.07, which ranks it 53rd of the 74 bright stars on our list. Sirius looks about 25 times brighter.
Alpheratz comes from the Arabic surrat al-faras, the navel of the horse. The star joins Andromeda to Pegasus, the winged horse.