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The 90th birthday star

Ascella

in Sagittarius · about 89 light-years · HIP 93506

Someone turning 90 in 2026 was born in 1936. The light arriving tonight from Ascella left the star around 1937, one year after they were born. Look up on their 90th birthday and the light in their eyes is about as old as they are.

Find their exact star (free)Design a 90th birthday print

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

The star

Ascella at a glance

Distance
89 ly
Light left
around 1937
Constellation
Sagittarius
Brightness
mag 2.6
Highest at midnight
July
Catalogue
HIP 93506

How to find it

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

  • · From New York: climbs to about 19° above the southern horizon
  • · From London: climbs to about 9° above the southern horizon
  • · From Sydney: climbs to about 86° above the northern horizon

Why this star, for 90

Light crosses one light-year in one year, so a star 89 light-years away shows you light that left it 89 years ago. Match that to an age and you have a birthday star. Ascella is the brightest named star within a year and a half of 90 light-years.

It stays their birthday star while they are between 89.5 and 90.6 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 90 light-years

StarDistanceLight left
CursaEridanus89 ly1937
AlrakisDraco88 ly1938
AlgorabCorvus88 ly1938
GacruxCrux88 ly1938
AlgolPerseus93 ly1933
WaznColumba86 ly1940
A framed star map with the birthday star ringed, lifted out of a gift box for a 90th birthday

A 90th 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 90th 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

90th birthday star questions

What is the 90th birthday star?
Ascella, in Sagittarius. It is about 89 light-years away, so the light reaching Earth from it now left the star around 1937. For someone turning 90 in 2026, born in 1936, that is one year after they were born.
Is it the same star for everyone turning 90?
Close to it. The match uses age to the day, and Ascella is the birthday star for anyone between 89.5 and 90.6 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 Ascella with the naked eye?
Ascella shines at magnitude 2.6: visible from the suburbs on a clear night. It stands highest at midnight in July. From New York it climbs to about 19° above the horizon; from Sydney, about 86°.
How accurate is 89 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 90th birthday gift with their star?
Their birth-night sky with Ascella (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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