Star profile

13 Boötis

Variable star

3D likeness based on its real data · class M · ~3,200 K

What is 13 Boötis

13 Boötis is a red M-type giant, variable and serene, some 549 light-years away along the slopes of the Herdsman —that celestial shepherd who drives the northern constellations—. Its cool surface dyes the light a deep orange and its brightness fluctuates with the slow rhythm characteristic of old swollen stars. The light reaching us today set out when Spanish conquistadors were landing on the coasts of Mexico.

Where it is and when to see it

13 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 March: 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.

Find it on the sky map

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The signature wall

Stelvia's sky works like a signature wall: anyone can leave their name and a message on a real star, and that signature goes up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.

A signature without a lock can be replaced by someone else's. The lock makes the signature permanent and lets you choose a symbolic name for the star, always shown next to the star's catalogue identifier. How the lock works

If you don't have an account yet, we'll ask for an email to confirm it's you: we send you a link and that's it, no password.

Write my signature

A public signature from a real person. The chosen name is a symbolic denomination within Stelvia, with no official standing or IAU recognition: the sky is not for sale and belongs to no one.

Astronomical data for 13 Boötis

Constellation: Boötes
Apparent magnitude: 5.26
Distance: 549.2 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 212.072° · Dec 49.458°
Catalogue: HIP 69068 · HD 123782

A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.

Other stars in Boötes

Boötes has 88 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 88 stars in Boötes