Star profile
Xi Scorpii
Binary systemWhat is Xi Scorpii
Xi Scorpii is a multiple system in the body of the Scorpion, where several yellow and white stars share an intricate gravitational dance some eighty light-years away. Its main components split with a modest telescope, offering one of the finest double-star sights of the northern summer. It is one of the stellar knots that has taught astronomers most about the real masses of stars.
Where it is and when to see it
Xi Scorpii lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is May: the Sun sits at the opposite point of the sky and the star culminates around midnight. How high it climbs above the horizon depends on the latitude you watch from.
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Astronomical data for Xi Scorpii
- Constellation
- Scorpius
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.00
- Distance
- 79.4 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 241.092° · Dec -11.375°
- Catalogue
- HYG 119059 · HD 144069
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Scorpius
Scorpius has 104 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- AntaresAlpha Scorpii1.06
- ShaulaLambda Scorpii1.62
- SargasTheta Scorpii1.86
- Acrab BBeta 2 Scorpii4.90
- Psi Scorpii4.93
- HIP 786504.96
- HIP 833365.03
- HIP 840335.06