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The 16th birthday star

Altair

in Aquila · about 17 light-years · HIP 97649

Someone turning 16 in 2026 was born in 2010. The light arriving tonight from Altair left the star around 2009, one year before they were born. Look up on their 16th birthday and the light in their eyes is about as old as they are.

Find their exact star (free)Design a 16th birthday print

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

The star

Altair at a glance

Distance
17 ly
Light left
around 2009
Constellation
Aquila
Brightness
mag 0.8
Highest at midnight
July
Catalogue
HIP 97649

How to find it

Altair is a first-magnitude star, easy to spot even from a city. It sits in Aquila and stands highest at midnight in July; a month or two either side it is up in the evening or before dawn.

  • · From New York: climbs to about 58° above the southern horizon
  • · From London: climbs to about 47° above the southern horizon
  • · From Sydney: climbs to about 47° above the northern horizon

Why this star, for 16

Light crosses one light-year in one year, so a star 17 light-years away shows you light that left it 17 years ago. Match that to an age and you have a birthday star. Altair is the brightest named star within a year and a half of 16 light-years.

It stays their birthday star while they are between 15.3 and 20.2 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 16 light-years

StarDistanceLight left
KeidEridanus17 ly2010
A framed star map with the birthday star ringed, lifted out of a gift box for a 16th birthday

A 16th 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 16th 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

16th birthday star questions

What is the 16th birthday star?
Altair, in Aquila. It is about 17 light-years away, so the light reaching Earth from it now left the star around 2009. For someone turning 16 in 2026, born in 2010, that is one year before they were born.
Is it the same star for everyone turning 16?
Close to it. The match uses age to the day, and Altair is the birthday star for anyone between 15.3 and 20.2 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 Altair with the naked eye?
Altair shines at magnitude 0.8: a first-magnitude star, easy to spot even from a city. It stands highest at midnight in July. From New York it climbs to about 58° above the horizon; from Sydney, about 47°.
How accurate is 17 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 16th birthday gift with their star?
Their birth-night sky with Altair (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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