Alfirk

HR 8238 · HIP 106032 · β Cep

👁️ Naked-eye

📋 A written introduction is coming — for now this page shows official values only.

Star

Apparent magnitude: 3.23 mag
Parallax: 4.76 mas → about 685.2 light-years away
Spectral type: B2IIIv SB
Right ascension: 322.165°
Declination: 70.5607°
Designation: HR 8238
Bayer designation: β Cep
HIP number: 106032
IAU name adopted: 2016-08-21
Name language: Arabic
Name origin (IAU): Applied in recent times from an abbreviation of the pre-Islamic Arabian names kaukaba al-firq (for α and β Cep ), and kawakib al-firq (for α, β , and η Cep). kaukaba and kawakib mean "two stars" and "stars" (more than two), respectively, but the original Arabic script for al-firq can be vocalized in various ways with various meanings. If the vocalization al-firq is accepted, it means "the Flock," and may refer to a flock of sheep here.

Constellation

Light from this object takes about 685 years to reach Earth — the light you see tonight left around AD 1341 (official distance ÷ speed of light).
At magnitude 3.2 it is bright enough for the naked eye (limit about 6) — look from somewhere dark.
Declination 70.6° — from Seoul (37.6° N) it never sets and circles the northern sky all night.

Worked out from this object's official values.