bright giant · K3II
Alphard
Alphard is a orange bright giant (spectral type K3II) about 180 light-years away. With an apparent magnitude of 1.99 it is a very bright, conspicuous star.
The brightest star in Hydra. Its name means "the solitary one" – it stands alone in a region with few bright stars.
Its light output is roughly 420 times that of the Sun (a rough estimate in visible light, calculated from brightness and distance).
From Germany (52° N) it rises and sets; it is best seen in the evening in February.
Key facts
- Distance
- ≈ 180 light-years
- Spectral type
- K3II (bright giant)
- Colour
- Orange
- Apparent magnitude
- 1.99 mag
- Luminosity
- ≈ 420 × Sun
- Position
- Right ascension 9h 28m, declination -8.7°
More well-known stars
Data: Hipparcos / HYG catalogue (CC BY-SA 4.0). Luminosity and visibility are calculated estimates.