Alphard: how to find it and when to see it
Alphard ranks 47th of the 74 bright stars on our list, at magnitude 1.99, in the constellation Hydra.
You can see it from anywhere south of 81° N, and it's highest in the evening sky in March.
Alphard at a glance
- Constellation
- Hydra
- Magnitude
- 1.99
- Rank on our list
- 47 of 74
- Hemisphere
- Southern
- Right ascension
- 9 h 28 min
- Declination
- 8.7° south
- Visible from
- south of 81° N
- Never sets
- south of 81° S
- Best evening
- March 29
- Name from
- Arabic
Where Alphard is in the sky
Alphard sits 8.7° south of the celestial equator, the line in the sky directly above Earth's equator, so it's in the southern half of the sky. Its right ascension is 9 h 28 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 Alphard
From the northern hemisphere
From 40° N, the latitude of New York, Madrid and Beijing, Alphard rises in the east, climbs to 41° above the horizon in the south and sets in the west.
It's in the evening sky from February to May, and it's highest in the evening around March 29, in spring.
From the southern hemisphere
From 34° S, the latitude of Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires, Alphard rises in the east, climbs to 65° above the horizon in the north and sets in the west.
It's in the evening sky from January to June, and it's highest in the evening around March 29, in autumn.
How high Alphard 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 | 21° in the south | Feb to Apr |
| 50° N | Rises and sets | 31° in the south | Feb to May |
| 40° N | Rises and sets | 41° in the south | Feb to May |
| 30° N | Rises and sets | 51° in the south | Jan to May |
| 20° N | Rises and sets | 61° in the south | Jan to May |
| Equator | Rises and sets | 81° in the south | Jan to Jun |
| 20° S | Rises and sets | 79° in the north | Jan to Jun |
| 34° S | Rises and sets | 65° in the north | Jan to Jun |
| 45° S | Rises and sets | 54° in the north | Jan to Jun |
What the name Alphard means
Alphard comes from the Arabic al-fard, the solitary one. It's the only bright star in its part of the sky.
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 Alphard was above the horizon that night, it's on your map, and we print it on museum-grade paper.
Questions about Alphard
Alphard is in Hydra. It sits 8.7° south of the celestial equator, at a right ascension of 9 h 28 min.
Alphard is highest in the evening sky around March 29. That's spring in the northern hemisphere and autumn in the southern hemisphere.
Yes, from anywhere south of 81° N. From 40° N, it climbs to 41° above the horizon in the south.
Alphard has a magnitude of 1.99, which ranks it 47th of the 74 bright stars on our list. Sirius looks about 24 times brighter.
Alphard comes from the Arabic al-fard, the solitary one. It's the only bright star in its part of the sky.