Star profile

Rho Boötis

3D likeness based on its real data · class K · ~4,200 K

What is Rho Boötis

Rho Boötis is an orange giant that has left its youth behind, slowly swelling toward its final chapter. Its warm hue plays against the cooler blue of nearby Arcturus, sketching one of those colour pairs that betray the sky's chemical variety. Its light crossed space for a century and a half before reaching us —almost the very span since Bessel first measured a stellar distance.

Where it is and when to see it

Rho 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 69° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 80° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 26° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 60° S.

It ranks no. 7 in brightness among the 88 stars of Boötes in our catalogue. To find it, start from Arcturus, the brightest: it lies about 12° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 160 years ago.

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Astronomical data for Rho Boötis

Constellation: Boötes
Apparent magnitude: 3.57
Distance: 160.1 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 217.958° · Dec 30.371°
Catalogue: HIP 71053 · HD 127665

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