How do I find Mirfak?

How do I find Mirfak?

Mirfak is Perseus’ brightest star

1. While you’re looking at Perseus, be sure to scan with your binoculars for the Double Cluster. The constellation Cassiopeia can help you find it.
2. Look northeast on December evenings for the graceful shape of the constellation Perseus.
3. The Alpha Persei Moving Cluster (Melotte 20).

What is the magnitude of Perseus?

1.8
Perseus, constellation in the northern sky at about 4 hours right ascension and 40° north in declination. With a magnitude of 1.8, its brightest star is Mirfak (from the Arabic for “the elbow”), which is also known as Algenib (from the Arabic for “the side”).

Why is Algol called the Demon Star?

Bottom line: Algol has the nickname the Demon Star because it represents the head of Medusa. This variable star probably intrigued the ancients with its inconstant behavior.

What is the temperature of Mirfak?

6 350 K
Alpha Persei/Surface temperature

Where is Perseus in the sky right now?

Perseus constellation lies in the northern sky, next to Andromeda. It was named after the hero Perseus in Greek mythology. Perseus is one of the larger northern constellations.

Why does the star in the eye of Medusa wink every 3 days?

While diminished light lasts nearly 10 hours, the eclipse begins and ends so gradually that most of the fading and subsequent brightening takes place within the two hours before and two hours after mid-eclipse. So the eye of Medusa seems to “wink” at nearly three day intervals.

How long will Algol last?

Algol is at minimum light for about 20 minutes — as the large, dim star passes across the smaller, brighter one — then it gradually returns to normal.

How many light years is Mirfak from Earth?

In 2007, Hipparcos data was revised with a new parallax of 6.44000 which put Mirfak at a distance of 506.46 light years or 155.28 parsecs. It should not be taken as though the star is moving closer or further away from Earth.

What is the apparent magnitude of Mirfak star?

Mirfak has an apparent magnitude of 1.79, this is a measure of the brightness of the star as seen from Earth. Apparent Magnitude is also known as Visual Magnitude. If you used the 1997 Parallax value, you would get an absolute magnitude of -4.50 If you used the 2007 Parallax value, you would get an absolute magnitude of -4.17.

How many light years is Mirfak Alpha Persei?

Using the original Hipparcos data that was released in 1997, the parallax to the star was given as 5.51000 which gave the calculated distance to Mirfak as 591.95 light years away from Earth or 181.49 parsecs. If you want that in miles, it is about 3,479,852,289,656,037.94, based on 1 Ly = 5,878,625,373,183.61 miles.

What is the iron abundance of Mirfak star?

Mirfak Iron Abundance is 0.14 with an error value of 9.99 Fe/H with the Sun has a value of 1 to put it into context. The value comes from the Hipparcos Extended Catalog. Mirfak has an apparent magnitude of 1.79, this is a measure of the brightness of the star as seen from Earth.