51 Andromedae
star in the constellation Andromeda

51 Andromedae, abbreviated 51 And and formally named Nembus , is the 5th brightest star in the northern constellation of Andromeda, very slightly dimmer than the Andromeda Galaxy also being of 4th magnitude. It is an orange K-type giant star with an apparent magnitude of +3.57 and is about 169 light-years from the Earth/solar system. It is traditionally depicted as one of the two northern, far upper ends of the mythological, chained-to-the-rocks princess, the other being binary star system Gamma Andromedae.
At an estimated age of 1.7 billion years, this is an evolved red giant star with a stellar classification of K3- III CN0.5. The suffix notation indicates a mild enhancement of cyanogen absorption lines in its spectrum. This star has 1.8 times the mass of the Sun and it has expanded to 20.9 times the Sun's radius. It is radiating 142 times the Sun's luminosity from its enlarged photosphere at an effective temperature of 4,316 K.
Nomenclature
51 Andromedae is the star's Flamsteed designation. Ptolemy included this star in Andromeda in the Almagest. It was for a time moved into the greater form of Perseus envisioned by Johann Bayer as Upsilon Persei. Flamsteed oversaw its constellation reverting and the International Astronomical Union (IAU) made his 51 Andromedae its official designation in 1930.
“51 Andromedae” enters the record as star in the constellation Andromeda. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Andromedae, star and constellation can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“51 Andromedae” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Andromedae, star and constellation provides the most credible route into that argument.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 12, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q242272. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1930.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “51 Andromedae”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow 51 Andromedae primary sources, 51 Andromedae archive and Andromedae research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “51 Andromedae”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “51 Andromedae” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.