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The 35th birthday star

Pollux

in Gemini · about 34 light-years · HIP 37826

Someone turning 35 in 2026 was born in 1991. The light arriving tonight from Pollux left the star around 1993, two years after they were born. Look up on their 35th birthday and the light in their eyes is about as old as they are.

Find their exact star (free)Design a 35th birthday print

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

The star

Pollux at a glance

Distance
34 ly
Light left
around 1993
Constellation
Gemini
Brightness
mag 1.2
Highest at midnight
January
Catalogue
HIP 37826

How to find it

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

  • · From New York: climbs to about 77° above the southern horizon
  • · From London: climbs to about 67° above the southern horizon
  • · From Sydney: climbs to about 28° above the northern horizon

Why this star, for 35

Light crosses one light-year in one year, so a star 34 light-years away shows you light that left it 34 years ago. Match that to an age and you have a birthday star. Pollux is the brightest named star within a year and a half of 35 light-years.

It stays their birthday star while they are between 30.4 and 35.1 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 35 light-years

StarDistanceLight left
ZavijavaVirgo36 ly1991
DenebolaLeo36 ly1990
ArcturusBoötes37 ly1990
MuphridBoötes37 ly1989
PorrimaVirgo39 ly1988
Deneb AlgediCapricornus39 ly1988
A framed star map with the birthday star ringed, lifted out of a gift box for a 35th birthday

A 35th 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 35th 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

35th birthday star questions

What is the 35th birthday star?
Pollux, in Gemini. It is about 34 light-years away, so the light reaching Earth from it now left the star around 1993. For someone turning 35 in 2026, born in 1991, that is two years after they were born.
Is it the same star for everyone turning 35?
Close to it. The match uses age to the day, and Pollux is the birthday star for anyone between 30.4 and 35.1 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 Pollux with the naked eye?
Pollux shines at magnitude 1.2: a first-magnitude star, easy to spot even from a city. It stands highest at midnight in January. From New York it climbs to about 77° above the horizon; from Sydney, about 28°.
How accurate is 34 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 35th birthday gift with their star?
Their birth-night sky with Pollux (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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