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The 70th birthday star

Syrma

in Virgo · about 70 light-years · HIP 69701

Someone turning 70 in 2026 was born in 1956. The light arriving tonight from Syrma left the star around 1956, the year they were born. Look up on their 70th birthday and the light in their eyes is as old as they are.

Find their exact star (free)Design a 70th birthday print

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

The star

Syrma at a glance

Distance
70 ly
Light left
around 1956
Constellation
Virgo
Brightness
mag 4.1
Highest at midnight
April
Catalogue
HIP 69701

How to find it

Syrma is a faint star, best from a dark site or with binoculars. It sits in Virgo 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 43° above the southern horizon
  • · From London: climbs to about 33° above the southern horizon
  • · From Sydney: climbs to about 62° above the northern horizon

Why this star, for 70

Light crosses one light-year in one year, so a star 70 light-years away shows you light that left it 70 years ago. Match that to an age and you have a birthday star. Syrma is the brightest named star within a year and a half of 70 light-years.

It stays their birthday star while they are between 68.3 and 71.3 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 70 light-years

StarDistanceLight left
UnukalhaiSerpens73 ly1953
A framed star map with the birthday star ringed, lifted out of a gift box for a 70th birthday

A 70th 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 70th 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

70th birthday star questions

What is the 70th birthday star?
Syrma, in Virgo. It is about 70 light-years away, so the light reaching Earth from it now left the star around 1956. For someone turning 70 in 2026, born in 1956, that is the year they were born.
Is it the same star for everyone turning 70?
Close to it. The match uses age to the day, and Syrma is the birthday star for anyone between 68.3 and 71.3 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 Syrma with the naked eye?
Syrma shines at magnitude 4.1: a faint star, best from a dark site or with binoculars. It stands highest at midnight in April. From New York it climbs to about 43° above the horizon; from Sydney, about 62°.
How accurate is 70 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 70th birthday gift with their star?
Their birth-night sky with Syrma (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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