- Alpha Persei (Latinized from α Persei, abbreviated Alpha Per, α Per), formally named Mirfak (pronounced /ˈmɜːrfæk/ or /ˈmɪərfæk/), is the brightest star in the northern constellation of Perseus, outshining the constellation’s best-known star, Algol (β Persei). Alpha Persei has an apparent visual magnitude of 1.8, and is a circumpolar star when viewed from mid-northern latitudes.