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The 50th birthday star

Alderamin

in Cepheus · about 49 light-years · HIP 105199

Someone turning 50 in 2026 was born in 1976. The light arriving tonight from Alderamin left the star around 1977, one year after they were born. Look up on their 50th birthday and the light in their eyes is about as old as they are.

Find their exact star (free)Design a 50th birthday print

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

The star

Alderamin at a glance

Distance
49 ly
Light left
around 1977
Constellation
Cepheus
Brightness
mag 2.5
Highest at midnight
August
Catalogue
HIP 105199

How to find it

Alderamin is bright enough to see from most towns. It sits in Cepheus and stands highest at midnight in August; a month or two either side it is up in the evening or before dawn. Northern hemisphere skies only.

  • · From New York: climbs to about 68° above the northern horizon
  • · From London: climbs to about 79° above the northern horizon
  • · From Sydney: never rises

Why this star, for 50

Light crosses one light-year in one year, so a star 49 light-years away shows you light that left it 49 years ago. Match that to an age and you have a birthday star. Alderamin is the brightest named star within a year and a half of 50 light-years.

It stays their birthday star while they are between 48.3 and 50.0 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 50 light-years

StarDistanceLight left
CastorGemini52 ly1975
AlchibaCorvus48 ly1978
TalithaUrsa Major48 ly1979
RasalhagueOphiuchus47 ly1980
A framed star map with the birthday star ringed, lifted out of a gift box for a 50th birthday

A 50th 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 50th 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

50th birthday star questions

What is the 50th birthday star?
Alderamin, in Cepheus. It is about 49 light-years away, so the light reaching Earth from it now left the star around 1977. For someone turning 50 in 2026, born in 1976, that is one year after they were born.
Is it the same star for everyone turning 50?
Close to it. The match uses age to the day, and Alderamin is the birthday star for anyone between 48.3 and 50.0 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 Alderamin with the naked eye?
Alderamin shines at magnitude 2.5: bright enough to see from most towns. It stands highest at midnight in August. Northern hemisphere skies only. From New York it climbs to about 68° above the horizon; from Sydney, it never rises.
How accurate is 49 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 50th birthday gift with their star?
Their birth-night sky with Alderamin (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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