Arabic star names / Alphecca

Alphecca

الفكة

Alphecca comes from the Arabic الفكة (al-Fakka), which means “the broken ring”. It is the 68th-brightest star in the sky, in Corona Borealis.

Brightness

2.22

Colour

white

Constellation

Corona Borealis

Best seen

June evenings

Right ascension

15h 35m

Declination

+26° 43′

The name

Corona Borealis looks like an unclosed ring of stars, and Arabs called it al-Fakka. This is its brightest jewel.

Where you can see it

It rises everywhere north of 63°S. From Riyadh it climbs to 88° above the horizon. From London it climbs to 65° above the horizon. From Sydney it climbs to 29° above the horizon.