The AsterNym star registry
Irena
Irena: the pale star of Hercules
pale · Hercules · WASP-38
Irena is a pale star in the constellation Hercules, one of the few thousand stars bright enough to carry an officially recognised name. It rewards a pair of binoculars on a clear night.
Most stars in the sky are anonymous points of light. Irena is not — it has held a name across generations of sky-watchers, which makes it a rare thing to attach a name of your own to.
Real star · Personal dedication · Recorded in the AsterNym registry
See what a dedicated page looks like — preview
Irena at a glance
- Constellation
- Hercules
- Other name
- WASP-38
- Catalogue number
- WASP-38
- Brightness
- Magnitude 9.41 telescope
- Star type
- Colour
- pale
- Best seen from
- Almost everywhere on Earth
- Right ascension
- 16h 15m 50s
- Declination
- +10° 01′ 57″
Coordinates are J2000 epoch, checkable against any astronomical source or planetarium app.
What could a Irena dedication represent?
Irena is especially meaningful for someone who:
- · Deserves something older than any gift shop
- · Marks a beginning, an anniversary or a promise
- · Is remembered every time you look up
- · Has a light you want recorded somewhere permanent
Dedication idea
“For the one I think of when I find Hercules in the sky.”
Where can you see Irena?
It sits near the celestial equator, so nearly every inhabited latitude gets a view of it at some point in the year.
Irena belongs to Hercules.
Dedicate Irena to someone who matters
A flower fades. A card is eventually put away. A star gives your message a place in the sky.
Your Irena dedication includes:
- · Your chosen dedication name
- · Your personal message
- · Irena's real astronomical coordinates
- · A shareable dedication page
- · Its location on the AsterNym Galaxy Map
- · An optional printable certificate and gift presentation
Irena keeps its established astronomical name. Your dedication is a personal commemorative record within the AsterNym registry.
Frequently asked questions about Irena
- Is Irena the brightest star?
- Irena shines at magnitude 9.41 — a binocular-and-telescope star, one of the few thousand stars with an officially recognised name.
- How far away is Irena?
- Irena's distance is catalogued from its measured parallax; see its astronomical coordinates below.
- Which constellation contains Irena?
- Irena is part of Hercules.
- Can everyone see Irena?
- It sits near the celestial equator, so nearly every inhabited latitude gets a view of it at some point in the year.
- Is dedicating Irena an official astronomical renaming?
- No. Irena keeps its internationally recognised astronomical name. An AsterNym dedication records your personal name and message in the AsterNym registry without changing the star's scientific identity.