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| Algorab is a nice double star with components of very unequal brightness. The brighter star, a hot blue-white star of magnitude 3, is more than 100 times brighter than the dimmer, orange star, magnitude 8.5. Their angular separation of 24 arcseconds makes them easy to resolve in just about any telescope. These stars are about 87 light years away. It is not known whether these two stars are gravitationally connected. |
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| Evening visibility: | April-June | ||
| Best viewed with: | telescope | ||
| Printable chart (pdf) | View larger image | ||
| Directions: Start by finding the Spring Triangle, which consists of three widely-separated first magnitude stars--Arcturus, Spica, and Regulus. The Spring Triangle is high in the southeast sky in early spring, and in the southwest sky by mid-Summer. (To get oriented, you can use the handle of the Big Dipper and "follow the arc to Arcturus"). For this star hop, begin at Spica in the constellation Virgo. |
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| Look about 20 degrees to the southwest of Spica to find the distinctive four-sided shape of Corvus, the crow. The star on the upper left (northeast) corner of this figure is Algorab. | |||
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| Star charts created with Cartes du Ciel | |||