Arabic star names / Vega

Vega

النسر الواقع

Vega comes from the Arabic النسر الواقع (al-Nasr al-Wāqiʿ), which means “the swooping eagle”. It is the 5th-brightest star in the sky, in Lyra.

Brightness

0.03

Colour

white

Constellation

Lyra

Best seen

August evenings

Right ascension

18h 37m

Declination

+38° 47′

The name

Unlike its partner Altair, this eagle has folded wings as if diving. 'Vega' is a medieval Latin spelling of wāqiʿ.

Where you can see it

It rises everywhere north of 51°S. From Riyadh it climbs to 76° above the horizon. From London it climbs to 77° above the horizon. From Sydney it climbs to 17° above the horizon.