Hamal/Origin



Alpha Arietis   ( α Ari, α Arietis) is the  Bayer designation   for the brightest star in the northern  zodiacal   constellation   of Aries . It has the traditional name  Hamal, which comes from the Arabic phrase for "head of the ram", and the Flamsteed designation   of 13 Arietis. With an  apparent visual magnitude   of 2.0,  it is among the  brightest stars in the night sky . Based upon  parallax <span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"ComicSansMS";mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:white; mso-themecolor:background1">  <span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"ComicSansMS";mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;color:white;mso-themecolor:background1">measurements made with  Hipparcos <span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"ComicSansMS";mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:white; mso-themecolor:background1">  <span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"ComicSansMS";mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;color:white;mso-themecolor:background1">astrometry satellite α Arietis is about 65.8  light-years <span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"ComicSansMS";mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;color:white;mso-themecolor:background1">  <span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"ComicSansMS";mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:white; mso-themecolor:background1">(20.2  parsecs <span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"ComicSansMS";mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;color:white;mso-themecolor:background1">) from Earth. It is a  giant star <span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"ComicSansMS";mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;color:white;mso-themecolor:background1">  <span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"ComicSansMS";mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:white; mso-themecolor:background1">that may host an orbiting planet with a mass greater than Jupiter.