When is the best time to observe Homam?

Homam is best observed from July through September, with peak visibility during August when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is Homam located in the sky?

Homam lies in the constellation Pegasus at right ascension 22h 41m and declination +10° 50′.

What telescope do I need to see Homam?

At magnitude 3.4, Homam is visible to the naked eye from dark skies, easy in any binoculars.

Homam — Star in Pegasus

HIP 112029; Zeta Pegasi; 42 Pegasi

Magnitude 3.4^m Star Pegasus (Peg) Visible

Star Map + List + Plan

About Homam

Description

Homam, Zeta Pegasi, is a blue-white B9 IV subgiant about 204 light-years away in the constellation Pegasus. It shines at magnitude 3.40 and has a mass of about 2.3 solar masses. Homam is a known spectroscopic binary with a close companion in a 1.07-year orbit. The primary rotates rapidly, which broadens its spectral lines into diffuse absorption features.

Observing Tips

Homam marks one of the outer edges of the Great Square of Pegasus — specifically the extended wing toward the west. Binoculars show a clean blue-white point; no visual companion is resolvable in amateur scopes. Best observed August through December.

History

The name Homam comes from the Arabic "al-humām," meaning "the high-souled one" or "the hero." In the pre-Islamic sky it was associated with a legendary Arabian champion.

Fun Facts

Homam's spectroscopic companion was detected through Doppler shifts in the late 1960s. The mass ratio suggests the companion is a late-F or early-G dwarf, likely a future subject for direct adaptive-optics imaging once next-generation instruments mature.