51 Andromedae is a 4th magnitude

Magnitude (astronomy)

Magnitude is the logarithmic measure of the brightness of an object, in astronomy, measured in a specific wavelength or passband, usually in optical or near-infrared wavelengths.-Background:...

 star

Star

A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...

, the 5th brighest in the constellation

Constellation

In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....

 Andromeda

Andromeda (constellation)

Andromeda is a constellation in the northern sky. It is named after Andromeda, the princess in the Greek legend of Perseus who was chained to a rock to be eaten by the sea monster Cetus...

. It does not have a Bayer designation

Bayer designation

A Bayer designation is a stellar designation in which a specific star is identified by a Greek letter, followed by the genitive form of its parent constellation's Latin name...

. It is occasionally called by the proper name Nembus in Bayer

Johann Bayer

Johann Bayer was a German lawyer and uranographer . He was born in Rain, Bavaria, in 1572. He began his study of philosophy in Ingolstadt in 1592, and moved later to Augsburg to begin work as a lawyer. He grew interested in astronomy during his time in Augsburg...

's Uranometria

Uranometria

Uranometria is the short title of a star atlas produced by Johann Bayer.It was published in Augsburg, Germany, in 1603 by Christophorus Mangus under the full title Uranometria : omnium asterismorum continens schemata, nova methodo delineata, aereis laminis expressa. This translates to...

(1603) and Bode

Johann Elert Bode

Johann Elert Bode was a German astronomer known for his reformulation and popularization of the Titius-Bode law. Bode determined the orbit of Uranus and suggested the planet's name.-Biography:...

's star atlas Uranographia (1801).

Ptolemy

Ptolemy

Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...

 included this star in Andromeda in the Almagest

Almagest

The Almagest is a 2nd-century mathematical and astronomical treatise on the apparent motions of the stars and planetary paths. Written in Greek by Claudius Ptolemy, a Roman era scholar of Egypt,...

, but it was moved into Perseus by Johann Bayer

Johann Bayer

Johann Bayer was a German lawyer and uranographer . He was born in Rain, Bavaria, in 1572. He began his study of philosophy in Ingolstadt in 1592, and moved later to Augsburg to begin work as a lawyer. He grew interested in astronomy during his time in Augsburg...

, who designated it Upsilon Persei (υ Per). Flamsteed

John Flamsteed

Sir John Flamsteed FRS was an English astronomer and the first Astronomer Royal. He catalogued over 3000 stars.- Life :Flamsteed was born in Denby, Derbyshire, England, the only son of Stephen Flamsteed...

 moved it back, the International Astronomical Union agreed, and Flamsteed's 51 Andromedae is now its official designation.

In Chinese

Chinese language

The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...

, , meaning Heaven's Great General

Bond (Chinese constellation)

Leu sieu meaning "the Train of a garment", was one of the twenty-eight lunar mansions of the traditional Chinese astronomy. It was one of the White Tiger of the West （西方白虎）.- The asterisms in the Region of Leu （婁宿天區）:...

, refers to an asterism consisting of 51 Andromedae, γ Andromedae

Gamma Andromedae

Gamma Andromedae is the third brightest star in the constellation of Andromeda. It is also known by the traditional name Almach , from the Arabic العناق الأرض al-‘anāq al-’arđ̧ "the caracal" .Another term for this star used by medieval astronomers...

, φ Persei

Phi Persei

Phi Persei is a Class B2Vpe, fourth-magnitude star in the constellation Perseus. Due to its isolation and distance from Cassiopeia, Andromeda and the rest of Perseus, John Flamsteed never took thought to assign a number and constellation to Phi Persei.Phi Persei is binary consisting of a blue main...

, 49 Andromedae

49 Andromedae

49 Andromedae is a star in the constellation Andromeda. Its apparent magnitude is 5.27....

, χ Andromedae

Chi Andromedae

Chi Andromedae is a star in the constellation Andromeda. It with φ And composed Chinese asterism 軍南門 , "the South Gate of the Camp"....

, υ Andromedae

Upsilon Andromedae

Upsilon Andromedae is a binary star located approximately 44 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Andromeda. The primary star is a yellow-white dwarf star that is somewhat younger than the Sun...

, τ Andromedae

Tau Andromedae

Tau Andromedae is a star in the constellation Andromeda. It is approximately 681 light years from Earth. This is a blue-white B-type giant with an apparent magnitude of +4.96.-References:*...

, 56 Andromedae

56 Andromedae

56 Andromedae is a binary star in the constellation Andromeda. Its apparent magnitude is 5.69. This binary system is composed of two yellow giants and is located near the open cluster NGC 752.-References:*...

, β Trianguli

Beta Trianguli

Beta Trianguli is the brightest star in the constellation Triangulum.In Chinese traditional astronomy, it was the 9th star of Tien Ta Tseang ....

, γ Trianguli

Gamma Trianguli

Gamma Trianguli is a star in the constellation Triangulum.Gamma Trianguli is a white A-type main sequence dwarf with an apparent magnitude of +4.03. It is approximately 118 light years from Earth....

 and δ Trianguli

Delta Trianguli

Delta Trianguli is a spectroscopic binary star system approximately away in the constellation of Triangulum. The primary star is a yellow dwarf, while the secondary star is thought to be an orange dwarf...

. Consequently, 51 Andromedae itself is known as

51 Andromedae is an orange K-type

Stellar classification

In astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of stars based on their spectral characteristics. The spectral class of a star is a designated class of a star describing the ionization of its chromosphere, what atomic excitations are most prominent in the light, giving an objective measure...

 giant

Giant star

A giant star is a star with substantially larger radius and luminosity than a main sequence star of the same surface temperature. Typically, giant stars have radii between 10 and 100 solar radii and luminosities between 10 and 1,000 times that of the Sun. Stars still more luminous than giants are...

 with an apparent magnitude

Apparent magnitude

The apparent magnitude of a celestial body is a measure of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, adjusted to the value it would have in the absence of the atmosphere...

 of +3.59. It is approximately 177 light years

Light Years

Light Years is the seventh studio album by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. It was released on 25 September 2000 by Parlophone and Mushroom Records. The album's style was indicative of her return to "mainstream pop dance tunes"....

 from the Earth

Earth

Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...

.

External links

• wikisky.org
• http://www.alcyone-software.com/cgi-bin/search.pl?object=HR0464
• Image 51 Andromedae