Star · B8V
Algol
Algol is a main-sequence star of spectral type B8V in the constellation Perseus, 89.9 light-years from the Sun.
| Other names | β Per · HIP 14576 |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Perseus |
| Distance | 89.9 light-years (27.6 pc) |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 2.09 |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −0.11 |
| Spectral type | B8V |
| Surface temperature | 10,160 K |
| Luminosity | 134 L☉ |
| Radius | 3.73 R☉ |
| Mass | 3.68 M☉ (estimated) |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 3h 08m 10.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +40° 57′ 20″ |
| Space velocity (relative to the Sun) | 4.0 km/s |
In the sky
Visible to the naked eye under a dark sky (apparent magnitude 2.09). Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 49° S. North of latitude 49° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in November, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around the year 1936. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 1.6 million years.
The Sun seen from there
From a planet around Algol, the Sun would look like a star of magnitude 7.03, in the direction where our sky has the constellation Lupus. It would be invisible to the naked eye.
Neighbours
Its nearest neighbours in the catalogue (within 20 light-years):
Position, brightness and colour from the HYG / AT-HYG catalogue; temperature, luminosity, radius and mass are approximate values computed from these observations.