Kitalpha

HR 8131 · HIP 104987 · α Equ

👁️ Naked-eye

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

Star

Apparent magnitude: 3.933 mag
Parallax: 17.14 mas → about 190.3 light-years away
Spectral type: G0III+...
Right ascension: 318.956°
Declination: 5.2479°
Designation: HR 8131
Bayer designation: α Equ
HIP number: 104987
IAU name adopted: 2016-08-21
Name language: Arabic
Name origin (IAU): Applied in recent times from the Arabic constellation name qit'at al-faras, "the Section of the Horse," for Equuleus. Ptolemy had Ἵππου Προτομή, "the First Half of the Horse," for the constellation, because it shows only half the figure (as with the constellations Taurus, Pegasus, and the Greek ship Argo).

Constellation

Light from this object takes about 190 years to reach Earth — the light you see tonight left around AD 1836 (official distance ÷ speed of light).
At magnitude 3.9 it is bright enough for the naked eye (limit about 6) — look from somewhere dark.
Declination 5.2° — it rises above the horizon in Seoul (37.6° N), so it is visible from Korea in the right season.

Worked out from this object's official values.