Star profile
Graffias
Xi Scorpii · Scorpius
What is Graffias
Graffias is the Xi of Scorpius, the celestial scorpion whose silhouette crawls along the southern horizon on summer nights. The name, of uncertain origin and long debated by philologists, has historically been shared by several stars in the constellation. A yellow-white F-class star about 79 light-years away, it is a calm flame burning in the long, curving sting of the scorpion.
Where it is and when to see it
Graffias 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, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it culminates about 27° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 38° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 67° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 79° N.
It ranks no. 35 in brightness among the 104 stars of Scorpius in our catalogue. To find it, start from Antares, the brightest: it lies about 16° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 79 years ago.
It opens in your browser. Free, no account, nothing to install.
Astronomical data for Graffias
- Constellation
- Scorpius
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.84
- Distance
- 79.4 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 241.092° · Dec -11.375°
- Catalogue
- HYG 119058 · HD 144070
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
- HIP 872204.79
- HIP 798814.80
- HIP 835744.83
- HIP 878464.85
- HIP 879364.88