Almaak
HIP 9640; Gamma1 And; 57 And
Object Data
- Catalog Designation
- HIP 9640; Gamma1 And; 57 And
- Type
- DoubleStar
- Constellation
- And
- Magnitude
- 2.26
- Right Ascension
- 02h 03m 54.0s
- Declination
- +42° 19' 47.0"
- Distance
- 251 light-years
- HR
- 603
- HIP
- 9640
- Bayer
- Gamma1
Survey Image
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About Almaak
Description
Almach is one of the finest double stars in the sky at magnitude 2.26 in Andromeda. A small telescope reveals a gorgeous pair — a golden-orange giant (K3IIb, magnitude 2.3) and a blue-white companion (magnitude 5.0) separated by about 10 arcseconds. Located about 355 light-years from Earth, the fainter companion is itself a triple star, making Almach a quadruple system.
Observing Tips
Almach lies at the eastern end of the main chain of Andromeda stars. It is one of the showpiece double stars of the autumn sky — even a small telescope reveals the striking color contrast between the golden primary and blue secondary. The pair is reminiscent of a miniature Albireo. Best observed September through February.
History
The name Almach (or Almaak) comes from the Arabic 'al-'anaq al-ard,' meaning 'the caracal' (a type of lynx). The double star nature was first noted by Johann Tobias Mayer in 1778. Almach has been a favorite target of visual double star observers for over two centuries.
Fun Facts
Almach rivals Albireo as the most beautiful color-contrast double star in the sky. The warm orange and cool blue pairing is immediately striking, and many observers consider it even finer than Albireo due to the smaller separation and greater brightness of the primary.