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The 40th birthday star

Porrima

in Virgo · about 39 light-years · HIP 61941

Someone turning 40 in 2026 was born in 1986. The light arriving tonight from Porrima left the star around 1988, two years after they were born. Look up on their 40th birthday and the light in their eyes is about as old as they are.

Find their exact star (free)Design a 40th birthday print

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

The star

Porrima at a glance

Distance
39 ly
Light left
around 1988
Constellation
Virgo
Brightness
mag 2.7
Highest at midnight
March
Catalogue
HIP 61941

How to find it

Porrima is visible from the suburbs on a clear night. It sits in Virgo and stands highest at midnight in March; a month or two either side it is up in the evening or before dawn.

  • · From New York: climbs to about 48° above the southern horizon
  • · From London: climbs to about 37° above the southern horizon
  • · From Sydney: climbs to about 58° above the northern horizon

Why this star, for 40

Light crosses one light-year in one year, so a star 39 light-years away shows you light that left it 39 years ago. Match that to an age and you have a birthday star. Porrima is the brightest named star within a year and a half of 40 light-years.

It stays their birthday star while they are between 38.6 and 40.1 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 40 light-years

StarDistanceLight left
Deneb AlgediCapricornus39 ly1988
CapellaAuriga42 ly1984
MuphridBoötes37 ly1989
ArcturusBoötes37 ly1990
DenebolaLeo36 ly1990
A framed star map with the birthday star ringed, lifted out of a gift box for a 40th birthday

A 40th 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 40th 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

40th birthday star questions

What is the 40th birthday star?
Porrima, in Virgo. It is about 39 light-years away, so the light reaching Earth from it now left the star around 1988. For someone turning 40 in 2026, born in 1986, that is two years after they were born.
Is it the same star for everyone turning 40?
Close to it. The match uses age to the day, and Porrima is the birthday star for anyone between 38.6 and 40.1 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 Porrima with the naked eye?
Porrima shines at magnitude 2.7: visible from the suburbs on a clear night. It stands highest at midnight in March. From New York it climbs to about 48° above the horizon; from Sydney, about 58°.
How accurate is 39 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 40th birthday gift with their star?
Their birth-night sky with Porrima (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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