Ⅰ. Andromeda Constellation 

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It is one of the 48 constellations listed by the Greco-Roman astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century & one of the 88 modern constellations. It is named after the daughter of Cassiopeia from Greek mythology who was chained to a rock to be eaten by a sea monster called Cetus therefore it is also known as 'The Chained Lady'. 

It is most prominently seen during autumn evenings in the Northern Hemisphere, along with several other constellations. Due to its northern declination, it is visible only from the north of 40° south latitude & for observers who are farther in the south, it lies below the horizon.

It is one of the largest constellations with an area of 772 square degrees which is 1400 times the size of the full moon. Its most obvious deep-sky object is the Andromeda Galaxy also called Messier 31.

The main stars of the Andromeda Constellation are as follows :

1. Alpha Andromeda (α And, Alpheratz, Sirrah) 

  • Brightest star of the constellation of type A0p. 
  • A binary star that is 97 light-years away from the Earth. 
  • Represents Andromeda's head in Western mythology 
  • Forms an asterism known as the 'Great Square of Pegasus' as it is a part of the Pegasus Constellation also 
  • Earlier co-designated as 'Delta Pegasus (δ Peg)'. 
  • Its Arabic names are taken from the phrase al-faras which means 'navel of the steed'. 

2. Beta Andromeda (β And, Mirach)

  • A red giant star of type M0 
  • Located in an asterism known as 'Girdle' 
  • 198 light-years away from the Earth. 
  • Its Arabic name comes from the phrase al-Maraaq which means 'the loincloth'. 
  • The Arabs considered this star to be a part of al-Hut, a constellation representing a larger fish than the Pisces constellation at Andromeda's feet. 

3. Gamma Andromeda (γ And, Almach) 

  • A giant bright orange star of type K3 
  • Located at the southern tip of the constellation 
  • Third brightest in the constellation. 
  • A multiple star system that is 358 light-years away from the Earth 
  • Has a mass of about 24 times the Sun with an age of 6.5 mn years. 
  • Almach is named from the Arabic phrase 'Anaq al-Ard' which means The Earth kid. 

4. Delta Andromeda (δ And) 

  • An orange-coloured giant triple star system 
  • 105 light-years away from the Earth. 

5. Iota Andromeda (ι And) 

  • A single blue-white star located approximately 500 light-years away. 
  • B type main-sequence star (B8V). 
  • 116 mn years old with 3.1 times the Sun's mass & spinning with a rotational velocity of 70 Km/sec. 
  • Represents the palm of Andromeda. 
  • In English, it is called The 22nd star of Flying Serpent. 

6. Kappa Andromeda (κ And) 

  • A white subgiant star of type (B9IVn) & is in the process of evolving away from the main sequence type. 
  • 168 light-years away & has a mass of 2.8 times the Sun's mass 
  • Rotating very fast with a velocity of 283.8 Km/sec. 
  • Approximately 60.5 mn years old. 
  • In English, it is called The 21st star of Flying Serpent. 

7. Lambda Andromeda (λ And) 

  • A binary star system approximately 86.1 light-years away from the Earth. 
  • Type (G8III - IV) indicating that it is an evolved star that is between the subgiant & giant stages. 
  • Mass is similar to the Sun but its radius is 7 times greater than it. 
  • In English, it is called The 19th Star of Flying Serpent. 

8. Omicron Andromeda (ο And) 

  • A four-star system that consists of two close pairs in a wide orbit. 
  • 692 light-years away from the Earth.  
  • The entire system is a blue-white B type giant system. 

9. Psi Andromeda (ψ And) 

  • A blue-white triple star system that is 1000 light-years away from the Earth. 
  • Its primary star is of the type (G5Ib) which is an evolved supergiant star. 
  • Forms a pair with a secondary star of type B9. 
  • In English, it is called The 20th Star of Flying Serpent. 

10. Mu Andromeda (μ And) 

  • A white coloured A-type main-sequence binary star system (A5V) approximately 130 light-years away. 
  • In the constellation, the star is situated halfway between β And to the southwest & the Andromeda Galaxy to the northeast. 
  • Has double the mass of the Sun & 2.4 times its radius. 
  • About 600 mn years old with a rotational velocity of 75 Km/sec. 
  • In English, it is known as The 8th Star of Legs. 

11. Upsilon Andromeda (Ï… And, Titawin) 

  • A binary star system approximately 44 light-years away from the Earth. 
  • Consists of an F type dwarf star & an M type dwarf star. 
  • Primary star is a yellow-white dwarf of type (F8V) similar to the Sun but younger, more massive & luminous. 
  • Around 3.1 bn years old. 
  • The secondary star is a red dwarf of type (M4.5V) & is less massive & far less luminous than the Sun. 
  • In English, it is known as The 6th Star of Heaven's Great General. 

12. Xi Andromeda (ξ And, Adhil) 

  • A red clump giant binary star of type (K0IIIb) 
  • 217 light-years away from the Earth.
  • Has 2.5 times the Sun's mass & 10 times its radius. 
  • 46 times brighter than the Sun.
  • Its Arabic name means 'the tail'. 

13. Pi Andromeda (Ï€ And) 

  • A blue-white coloured binary star 
  • Roughly 600 light-years away 
  • B type main sequence dwarf.
  • In English, it is known as The 6th Star of Legs. 

14. 51 Andromeda (51 And, Nembus) 

  • 5th brightest star in the constellation
  • An orange K type giant star about 169 light-years away. 
  • Estimated age of 1.7 bn years & is an evolved star (K3-IIICN0.5). 
  • Has 1.8 times the Sun's mass & 21.3 times its radius. 
  • In English, it is known as The 3rd Star of Heaven's Great General. 

15. 56 Andromeda (56 And) 

  • A binary star system approximately 330 light-years away. 
  • The primary star is a bright ageing giant star of type (K0III).
  • A red clump giant about 3.1 bn years old. 
  • Has 1.3 times the Sun's mass & 11 times its radius. 
  • 56 times brighter than the Sun. 
  • The secondary star is a faint orange giant star of type (K0) that is 990 light-years away from the Earth. 

16. R Andromeda (R And) 

  • A Mira type variable star approximately 1250 light-years from Earth. 
  • The star's spectral type varies as its brightness changes therefore it is an S type star
  • A red giant similar to M class stars. 
  • Like all Mira variables, it is an asymptotic giant branch star which is a very cool & luminous red giant. 

17. Z Andromeda (Z And) 

  • A binary star system consisting of a red giant & a white dwarf of type cataclysmic variable star known as symbiotic variable stars. 
  • The red giant is twice the Sun's mass, 880 times its luminosity
  • Constantly losing mass since radiation pressure overcomes the surface's low gravity. 
  • This outflow of the matter is captured by the white dwarf which creates an accretion disk around it. 
  • Therefore, it is about 1000 times brighter than the Sun. 

18. Ross 248 (HH And) 

  • Also called HH Andromeda or Gliese 905 
  • A small star approximately 10.3 light-years away.
  • Has 12% of the Sun's mass & 16% of its radius 
  • Glows with only 0.2% of the Sun's luminosity. 
  • A red dwarf main sequence BY Draconis variable star of type (M6V) which is a chromospherically active star. 

19. 14 Andromeda (14 And, Veritate) 

  • A single, orange-coloured giant star 
  • Approximately 247 light-years away from the Earth. 
  • Type (K0III)
  • Has 1.12 times the Sun's mass, 10.5 times its radius
  • 60.3 times brighter than the Sun. 


II. Antlia Constellation 

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It is located in the Southern Celestial Hemisphere & represents an air pump, therefore its name in Latin & Greek means 'pump'. It was founded by Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille in the eighteenth century & was originally known as Antlia Pneumatica. It is a faint constellation & its brightest star is Alpha Antlia. It can be completely seen from latitudes south of 49°N.

 It has an area of about 239 square degrees & is the 62nd largest constellation of the 88 modern constellations. Antlia galaxy is the deep sky object of the Antlia Constellation which is a dwarf spheroidal galaxy & a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. 

There are a total of 16 stars present in the Antlia Constellation. 

1. Alpha Antliae (α Ant) 

  • Brightest star in the constellation. 
  • K-type giant orange star (K4 III). 
  • Approximately 320 light-years away. 
  • Has 2.2 times the Sun's mass & 41 times its radius. 
  • 518 times brighter than the Sun. 

2. Epsilon Antliae (ε Ant) 

  • Evolved giant orange star of type (K3 IIIa). 
  • Radius of 56 times that of Sun 
  • Luminosity of 919 times of Sun. 
  • 590 light-years away. 

3. Iota Antliae (ι Ant) 

  • Evolved giant orange star. 
  • 202 light-years away. 
  • It is of type (K1 III). 
  • Has 12 times the Sun's radius. 
  • 3.32 bn years old with 1.55 times the Sun's mass. 
  • 67 times brighter than the Sun. 

4. Delta Antliae (δ Ant) 

  • Binary star system approximately 450 light-years away. 
  • Primary star - blue-white main-sequence star of type (B9.5 V)
  • Secondary star - yellow-white main sequence star of type (F9 Ve). 
  • Primary star has 3.4 times the Sun's mass & 200 times brighter than it. 
  • It is 214 mn years old. 

5. Zeta Antliae (ζ Ant) 

  • Binary star system. 
  • Brighter star Zeta¹ Ant is 410 light-years away. 
  • Fainter star Zeta² Ant is 386 light-years away. 

  1. The Zeta¹ Ant is a binary star system of A-type main-sequence stars. The primary star (Zeta¹ Ant A) has a mass of 2.46 times the Sun & a radius of 2.26 times of it. It is 39.8 times brighter than the Sun. It is of type (A0V). It is 350 light-years away. The secondary star (Zeta¹ Ant B) has a mass of 2.23 times of Sun & a radius of 1.74 times of it. It is 16.9 times brighter than Sun. It is of type (A2V). It is 347 light-years away. 
  2. Zeta² Ant is a subgiant star of type (A9 IV). Has a mass of 1.71 times the Sun & a radius of 4.22 times of it. It is 49.5 times brighter than the Sun.  

6. Eta Antliae (η Ant) 

  • Binary star system about 108.5 light-years away. 
  • Primary star (η Ant A) - yellow-white F-type main-sequence star (F1 V). 
  • Has 1.55 times the Sun's mass & 1.72 times its radius. 
  • 6.6 times brighter than the Sun 
  • Around 0.9 bn years old. 

7. Theta Antliae (θ Ant) 

  • Binary star system around 430 light-years away. 
  • Primary star (θ Ant A) - A-type main-sequence star (A8 Vm). 
  • Has a mass of 1.8 times that of the Sun. 
  • Secondary star (θ Ant B) - yellow giant star of type (G7 III). 
  • Has a mass of about 2.1 times the Sun. 

8. S Antliae (S Ant) 

  • An eclipsing binary star system about 270 light-years away.
  • Classed as an A-type W Ursae Majoris variable (A9V). 
  • Primary star is hotter than the secondary star 
  • Orbiting each other very closely that they will eventually merge to form a single fast-spinning star. 
  • Primary star has a mass of 1.94 times the Sun & 2.02 times its diameter. 
  • Secondary star has a mass of 0.76 times the Sun & 1.32 times its diameter. 
  • About 5-6 bn years old.
  • 17 times brighter than the Sun. 

9. T Antliae (T Ant) 

  • A yellow-white supergiant star of type (F6 Iab)
  • Classical Cepheid variable (δ Cep). 
  • Approximately 11000 light-years away. 
  • Has a radius of 52 times the Sun & 1889 times brighter than it. 
  • About 100 mn years old. 

10. U Antliae (U Ant) 

  • An extremely red C-type carbon star (C-N3) 
  • Irregular variable star (LB). 
  • Approximately 900 light-years away. 
  • 8000 times brighter than the Sun. 
  • Its radius is 325 times of the Sun. 

11. BF Antliae (BF Ant, HD 86301) 

  • An A-type main-sequence star (A4V). 
  • Delta Scuti variable star (δ Sct). 
  • Has 2.41 times the Sun's mass 
  • 67 times brighter than the Sun. 
  • 473 light-years away. 

12. AG Antliae (AG Ant, HR 4049) 

  • Binary post-asymptotic giant branch star (Post-AGB)
  • Approximately 5500 light-years away. 
  • A blue supergiant of type (B9.5 Ib-II). 
  • Primary star has a mass of 0.56 times the Sun & a radius of 47 times of it. 
  • 6300 times brighter than the Sun. 
  • Secondary star also has a mass of 0.56 times the Sun & 0.6 times its radius. 
  • 0.06 times brighter than the Sun. 

13. HD 93083 (Macondo) 

  • An orange star approximately 93 light-years away. 
  • K-type main-sequence star (K2 IV-V). 
  • Has a mass of 0.837 times the Sun & 0.844 times its radius. 
  • 0.41 times brighter than the Sun. 
  • About 6 bn years old. 

14. WASP - 66 (TYC 7193-1804-1) 

  • An F-type star (F4V). 
  • Approximately 1240 light-years away. 
  • Has a mass of about 1.3 times the Sun
  • Has 1.75 times the radius of the Sun. 
  • Around 3.7 bn years old. 

15. DENIS J1048 - 3956 

  • Brown dwarf star about 13.1 light-years away. 
  • Discovered by Xavier Delfosse & Thierry Forveille in 2000. 
  • It is of type (M9). Has a mass of about 0.075 times the Sun 
  • 0.108 times its radius. 
  • Around 1 bn years old. 

16. 2MASS 0939 - 2448 

  • Binary star system consisting of two T-type brown dwarf stars (T8). 
  • Approximately 17.4 light-years away. 
  • Primary star has a mass of 20-50 times Jupiter & 1.22 times its radius. 
  • 2 millionth times brighter than the Sun. 
  • Secondary star has a mass of 20-40 times Jupiter & radius of 0.09 times the Sun. 
  • Both stars are 2-10 bn years old.