
Star profile
9 Boötis
What is 9 Boötis
9 Bootis is a K-type orange giant 581 light-years away, in the constellation of the Herdsman —that celestial shepherd chasing the Bears around the north pole. The light arriving today set out in the late 15th century, when the great star catalogues had not yet been printed. Its brightness is faint but steady, a quiet beacon beside the red Arcturus.
Where it is and when to see it
9 Boötis lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is April, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it culminates about 66° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 77° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 29° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 63° S.
It ranks no. 32 in brightness among the 88 stars of Boötes in our catalogue. To find it, start from Arcturus, the brightest: it lies about 9° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 580 years ago.
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Astronomical data for 9 Boötis
- Constellation
- Boötes
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.02
- Distance
- 581.5 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 209.142° · Dec 27.492°
- Catalogue
- HIP 68103 · HD 121710
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Other stars in Boötes
Boötes has 88 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- ArcturusAlpha Boötis-0.05
- IzarEpsilon Boötis2.35
- MuphridEta Boötis2.68
- 6 Boötis4.92
- 45 Boötis4.93
- Nu 2 Boötis4.98
- Nu 1 Boötis5.04
- HIP 690385.13