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The 100th birthday star

Al Na'ir

in Grus · about 101 light-years · HIP 109268

Someone turning 100 in 2026 was born in 1926. The light arriving tonight from Al Na'ir left the star around 1925, one year before they were born. Look up on their 100th birthday and the light in their eyes is about as old as they are.

Find their exact star (free)Design a 100th birthday print

Hipparcos distances · by Mayukh Bagchi, founder & phd candidate in astronomy

The star

Al Na'ir at a glance

Distance
101 ly
Light left
around 1925
Constellation
Grus
Brightness
mag 1.7
Highest at midnight
August
Catalogue
HIP 109268

How to find it

Al Na'ir is bright enough to see from most towns. It sits in Grus and stands highest at midnight in August; a month or two either side it is up in the evening or before dawn.

  • · From New York: climbs to about 2° above the southern horizon
  • · From London: never rises
  • · From Sydney: climbs to about 77° above the southern horizon

Why this star, for 100

Light crosses one light-year in one year, so a star 101 light-years away shows you light that left it 101 years ago. Match that to an age and you have a birthday star. Al Na'ir is the brightest named star within a year and a half of 100 light-years.

It stays their birthday star while they are between 99.9 and 102.9 years old. Every birthday adds a light-year, so next year's star may be a different one: the free finder uses the exact birth date.

Other named stars near 100 light-years

StarDistanceLight left
AltaisDraco100 ly1926
RuchbahCassiopeia99 ly1927
AlkaidUrsa Major101 ly1926
KurhahCepheus102 ly1925
VindemiatrixVirgo102 ly1924
EdasichDraco102 ly1924
A framed star map with the birthday star ringed, lifted out of a gift box for a 100th birthday

A 100th birthday gift

Their star, ringed on the sky they were born under

Enter their birth date, time and birthplace in the designer and we draw that night's sky from the Hipparcos catalogue, then ring their birthday star in gold and name it under the date. Add a line of your own. It works for a 100th because the star is not a story: it is a distance and a date they can check.

  • · Framed from $79.99, ready to hang · prints from $39.99
  • · Digital $19.99: we can email it to them on their birthday with your note
  • · Or the Birthday Star Certificate, one printable page, $7.99
  • · Free Shipping on every print
Design it · framed from $79.99or send the digital file, $19.99or find their exact star first

Birthday stars for other milestones

Or start from the birthday star finder, the birthday star map page or all star map gifts.

Questions

100th birthday star questions

What is the 100th birthday star?
Al Na'ir, in Grus. It is about 101 light-years away, so the light reaching Earth from it now left the star around 1925. For someone turning 100 in 2026, born in 1926, that is one year before they were born.
Is it the same star for everyone turning 100?
Close to it. The match uses age to the day, and Al Na'ir is the birthday star for anyone between 99.9 and 102.9 years old. Someone a few months either side of their birthday may land on a neighbouring star. For an exact answer, enter their birth date in the free finder on the birthday star page.
Can you see Al Na'ir with the naked eye?
Al Na'ir shines at magnitude 1.7: bright enough to see from most towns. It stands highest at midnight in August. From New York it climbs to about 2° above the horizon; from Sydney, about 77°.
How accurate is 101 light-years?
The distance comes from the Hipparcos parallax catalogue, the same data the star charts on this site are drawn from. Parallax is very precise for the nearest stars and less so past about 100 light-years, which is why we round and say "about".
What is a good 100th birthday gift with their star?
Their birth-night sky with Al Na'ir (or their exact birthday star) ringed and named under the date: a framed print from $79.99 with free shipping, a digital file ($19.99) we can email to them on the day, or the printable Birthday Star Certificate ($7.99).

Exact to the day

Find their birthday star, then give the night

Free finder. Digital from $19.99, prints from $39.99. Free Shipping on every print.

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