The beguiling Dolphin: fixed star Sualocin

Won't you come swim in Delphinus' iridescent shallows with me?

Back in December 2022, I wrote about fixed star Sualocin, of constellation Delphinus, in French. I thought it might be interesting to revisit this article, translate it — overall rework it for English-speaking folks. English-speakers interested in fixed stars might have encountered more information about Sualocin than French-speakers,¹ so it gives me an opportunity to get a bit more granular, since Sualocin probably needs less of an introduction. This makes me enthused! You could spend a lifetime studying a single Star, and certainly the more I delve into it, the more Sualocin delivers countless marvels and surprises.

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Constellation Delphinus: “the pride of sea and sky”

Delphinus is a constellation of the Northern hemisphere, neighbour to Aquila, the Eagle. It’s not that big nor particularly bright; if you live in the city like me, locating Aquila first is very useful in trying to spot the Dolphin².

Sualocin is the alpha star of Delphinus; the two other named stars are Rotanev (located in the Dolphin’s head, like Sualocin) and Deneb Dulphim (in the Dolphin’s tail, as the name suggests³).