When is the best time to observe Sulafat?

Sulafat is best observed from May through July, with peak visibility during June when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is Sulafat located in the sky?

Sulafat lies in the constellation Lyra at right ascension 18h 59m and declination +32° 41′.

What telescope do I need to split Sulafat?

Splitting Sulafat requires an aperture of roughly 60 mm or larger — the components are separated by about 177.4″ at magnitudes near 3.2. The companion is about 7.4 magnitudes fainter, so glare from the primary — not separation — sets the minimum aperture. Larger apertures and steady seeing help resolve the pair cleanly.

Sulafat — Double Star in Lyra

HIP 93194; Gamma Lyrae; 14 Lyrae

DoubleStar Lyra (Lyr) Visible

Star Map + List + Plan

About Sulafat

Description

Sulafat is a blue-white giant of spectral type B9III at magnitude 3.24, the second brightest star in Lyra. Located about 620 light-years from Earth, it has a luminosity of roughly 2,500 times solar. Together with Beta Lyrae (Sheliak), it forms the base of the small parallelogram adjoining Vega.

Observing Tips

Sulafat lies at the southeastern base of the Lyra parallelogram, opposite Sheliak. It is easily found as part of the compact Lyra figure below brilliant Vega. The Ring Nebula (M57) lies between Sulafat and Sheliak. Best observed June through October.

History

The name Sulafat comes from the Arabic 'al-sulahfat,' meaning 'the tortoise' — Lyra was sometimes depicted as a tortoise-shell lyre. The Ring Nebula's position between Sulafat and Sheliak makes these two stars essential guide stars for finding M57.

Fun Facts

Sulafat and Sheliak bracket the famous Ring Nebula (M57), making them two of the most-used guide stars in amateur astronomy. Simply point between them and M57 appears — one of the easiest planetary nebulae to find.

Observe

1Physical Properties

Magnitude 3.24

Spectral Type A1III

Star Color Blue-white (B-V -0.05)

Distance 618 ly

2Position & Identifiers

RA 18h 58m 56.6s

Dec +32° 41' 22.0"

Constellation Lyra (Lyr)

HR 7178

HIP 93194

HD 176437

Bayer Gamma

Flamsteed 14 Lyr

Double Cat 11908

SIMBAD Wikipedia

3How easy to split?

Primary 3.2 mag Companion 10.6 mag Separation 177.4″

Telescope	Bortle 3	Bortle 4	Bortle 5
80 mm refractor 80mm refr.	Medium	Hard+	Hard
150 mm Newton 150mm Newt.	Easy	Medium+	Medium
Celestron C8 (203 mm SCT) C8 203mm	Easy	Easy	Medium+

Easy Medium Hard Very hard Impossible

Bortle 3 = rural · 4 = outer suburbs · 5 = suburbs

4Visibility

Set a location in User Settings to see visibility data.

Best season May – Jul (peak: Jun)

5Multiple Star System Quadruple

Components 4 (quadruple)

Component IDs AC

Separation 177.4″

Companion Mag 10.6

Position Angle 21°

Star Colors A: Blue-white

Discoverer AGC 9

Notes

B, 12.1v at 13", optical.

Separation over time

Measured 1879 → 2015 (136 y)

Separation drift 119.4" → 177.4" (+58.00")

Rate +0.4265" / y

PA drift 21° → 21° (+0°, +0.000°/y)

Apparent motion is significant on a human timescale — worth revisiting in a decade.

Measured from the WDS observational archive. No orbital solution has been derived — most likely the period is too long to fit an orbit to the available measurement arc.