Delphinus Constellation

Updated : 05/04/2025

Delphinus Constellation is one of twenty nine that you can see in the northern hemisphere night sky. Delphinus constellation was created by the ancient astronomer Claudius Ptolemy, who lived in 2nd century Alexandria, Egypt. Delphinus is not a member of the Zodiac group of constellations which are used in astrology to predict peoples immediate futures.

Delphinus is a Latin word; the English meaning/translation is the dolphin. Delphinus's pronunciation is Del-fine-us. The genitive form is Delphini, which means any object with Delphini at the end of its name infers a relationship to the constellation. Typically, the thing is within the constellation's boundaries or was once until it (the borders) was redrawn. Delphinus can be shortened or abbreviated to Del.

Delphinus (Constellation) takes up 188.549 sq. degrees of the night sky, equating to 0.46% of the night sky. Delphinus is the 69th largest constellation in the night sky. Five Extrasolar Planets in the Delphinus constellation are detailed on this site. There is a dedicated page for exoplanets in Delphinus.

Charles Messier didn't catalogue any deep-space objects in the Delphinus constellation. The following constellations border Delphinus:-

Delphinus Stars

Here are a few facts about the stars in the constellation.

Delphinus has seven stars that make up the constellation's shape.
The Hipparcos satellite scanned and detailed five hundred and twenty-one stars.
You can see fifty stars within the Delphinus constellation borders with the naked eye on a clear night sky.
Gliese 795 is Delphinus's nearest star, about 54.54 light-years from the Earth.
The nearest star in Delphinus to the Earth with an exoplanet is HD 196885, about 109.34 light-years away.

Rotanev

Delphinus's brightest star is Rotanev, about 100.89 light-years from the Sun. The star is designated as Beta Delphini rather than Alpha designation. Alpha stars tend to be the brightest in the constellation. Rotanev has an apparent magnitude of 3.64 but an absolute magnitude of 1.19. The difference between the magnitudes is that absolute magnitude is the object from 10 Parsecs or 32.6 light-years away from the observer, whereas apparent is from Earth.

Other Major Stars

This is a list of other stars that make up part of the constellation but have been detailed above yet. Other visible stars in the constellation can be found Delphinus Star List page.

Name	Bayer	Spectral Type	Distance	Exoplanets
Sualocin	Alpha Delphini	B9V	253.82
Gamma Delphini	Gamma Delphini A	A2Ia+...	123.78
Gamma Delphini B	Gamma Delphini B	K1IV	126.32
Delta Delphini	Delta Delphini	A7IIIp d Del	223.25
Aldulfin	Epsilon Delphini	B6III	330.46
Eta Delphini	Eta Delphini	A3IVs	236.18

Delphinus Mythology

Delphinus is the dolphin that persuaded Amphitrite, a nereid, that she should accept Poseidon's wooing. Amphitrite had wanted to keep her virginity, thus running off. Delphinus was one of those tasked with finding her. Another story has Delphinus as the dolphin who saved the Greek poet Arion of Lesbos from drowning after he was thrown overboard.

How to find Delphinus Constellation

Northern Hemisphere

It can be seen in an easterly direction in June when it is still light. It will be higher in the sky as the night goes on. It somersaults in the air before disappearing in December, like in the southern hemisphere.

Southern Hemisphere

Delphinus can be seen from about June but is fully visible from July on the horizon in an easterly direction. It somersaults in the air before disappearing in December.

Zodiac

Delphinus is not a member of the Zodiac group of twelve constellations that appear when the Sun sets. The Zodiac constellations are the ones astrologers use to predict a person's future based on their birth date.

Delphinus Constellation Distance From Earth

You cannot just go to one location and arrive in the Delphinus constellation, and this is because it is made up of stars at different positions and distances. The nearest main star (Rotanev) in the constellation is at a distance of 100.89 light-years, and the furthest main star is Aldulfin, at a distance of 330.46 light-years. The average distance to the major stars is 199.24 light years. Main stars refer to the stars that make up the constellation outline.

Because of the distances of objects, we see how they looked in the past. To know how far back we are looking, take the amount and remove the word "Light", and you will get an idea of how long ago they looked like that. By now, the object may look different.

Delphinus Constellation Facts

Name	Delphinus
Abbreviation	Del
Zodiac Sign	No
Area	188.549 sq. deg.
Night Sky	0.46%
Size Position	69th
Celestial Hemisphere	North
Meteor Shower(s)	3
Nearest Star	Gliese 795
...with Exoplanet(s)	HD 196885
Brightest Star	Rotanev
Dimmest Star	HD 196775
Furthest Star	TX Delphini
Bright Star Count	50
Hipp. Star Count	521
Main Star Count	7
Messier D.S.O. Count	0
Lists	Deep Space Objects
	Exoplanets
	Meteor Showers
	Stars
Main Stars	Sualocin
	Rotanev
	Gamma Delphini
	Gamma Delphini B
	Delta Delphini
	Aldulfin
	Eta Delphini

Comments and Questions

There's no register feature and no need to give an email address if you don't need to. All messages will be reviewed before being displayed.

I may add your comment onto the end of the appropriate page. Comments may be merged or altered slightly such as if an email address is given in the main body of the comment. You can decline to give a name which if that is the case, the comment will be attributed to a random star. A name is preferred even if it's a random made up one by yourself.

If you give an email address, you may receive an email notifying you when someone else has added a comment to the same page. In the email will be a link to unsubscribe to further notifications. Email address is optional.

Name:
Email:
Comment:

Contents