The AsterNym star registry
Lerna
Lerna: the pale star of Hydra
pale · Hydra · HAT-P-42
Lerna is a pale star in the constellation Hydra, 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. Lerna 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
Lerna at a glance
- Constellation
- Hydra
- Other name
- HAT-P-42
- Catalogue number
- HAT-P-42
- Brightness
- Magnitude 12.00 telescope
- Star type
- Colour
- pale
- Best seen from
- Almost everywhere on Earth
- Right ascension
- 09h 01m 23s
- Declination
- +06° 05′ 50″
Coordinates are J2000 epoch, checkable against any astronomical source or planetarium app.
What could a Lerna dedication represent?
Lerna 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 Hydra in the sky.”
Where can you see Lerna?
It sits near the celestial equator, so nearly every inhabited latitude gets a view of it at some point in the year.
Lerna belongs to Hydra.
Dedicate Lerna to someone who matters
A flower fades. A card is eventually put away. A star gives your message a place in the sky.
Your Lerna dedication includes:
- · Your chosen dedication name
- · Your personal message
- · Lerna's real astronomical coordinates
- · A shareable dedication page
- · Its location on the AsterNym Galaxy Map
- · An optional printable certificate and gift presentation
Lerna keeps its established astronomical name. Your dedication is a personal commemorative record within the AsterNym registry.
Frequently asked questions about Lerna
- Is Lerna the brightest star?
- Lerna shines at magnitude 12.00 — a binocular-and-telescope star, one of the few thousand stars with an officially recognised name.
- How far away is Lerna?
- Lerna's distance is catalogued from its measured parallax; see its astronomical coordinates below.
- Which constellation contains Lerna?
- Lerna is part of Hydra.
- Can everyone see Lerna?
- It sits near the celestial equator, so nearly every inhabited latitude gets a view of it at some point in the year.
- Is dedicating Lerna an official astronomical renaming?
- No. Lerna 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.