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The 60th birthday star

Menkent

in Centaurus · about 61 light-years · HIP 68933

Someone turning 60 in 2026 was born in 1966. The light arriving tonight from Menkent left the star around 1965, one year before they were born. Look up on their 60th birthday and the light in their eyes is about as old as they are.

Find their exact star (free)Design a 60th birthday print

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

The star

Menkent at a glance

Distance
61 ly
Light left
around 1965
Constellation
Centaurus
Brightness
mag 2.1
Highest at midnight
April
Catalogue
HIP 68933

How to find it

Menkent is bright enough to see from most towns. It sits in Centaurus and stands highest at midnight in April; a month or two either side it is up in the evening or before dawn.

  • · From New York: climbs to about 13° above the southern horizon
  • · From London: climbs to about 2° above the southern horizon
  • · From Sydney: climbs to about 88° above the southern horizon

Why this star, for 60

Light crosses one light-year in one year, so a star 61 light-years away shows you light that left it 61 years ago. Match that to an age and you have a birthday star. Menkent is the brightest named star within a year and a half of 60 light-years.

It stays their birthday star while they are between 59.4 and 62.4 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 60 light-years

StarDistanceLight left
SheratanAries60 ly1967
WasatGemini59 ly1967
ZosmaLeo58 ly1969
TureisPuppis63 ly1964
A framed star map with the birthday star ringed, lifted out of a gift box for a 60th birthday

A 60th 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 60th 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

60th birthday star questions

What is the 60th birthday star?
Menkent, in Centaurus. It is about 61 light-years away, so the light reaching Earth from it now left the star around 1965. For someone turning 60 in 2026, born in 1966, that is one year before they were born.
Is it the same star for everyone turning 60?
Close to it. The match uses age to the day, and Menkent is the birthday star for anyone between 59.4 and 62.4 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 Menkent with the naked eye?
Menkent shines at magnitude 2.1: bright enough to see from most towns. It stands highest at midnight in April. From New York it climbs to about 13° above the horizon; from Sydney, about 88°.
How accurate is 61 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 60th birthday gift with their star?
Their birth-night sky with Menkent (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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