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Star profile

Epsilon Serpens

3D likeness based on its real data · class A · ~8,500 K

What is Epsilon Serpens

Epsilon Serpentis traces one of the joints of the Serpent, that rare constellation split in two by Ophiuchus. It is a white type-A star some 70 light-years away, close enough that its light travels roughly a human lifetime before crossing paths with ours. On Greek charts it marked the gleaming body of the reptile held by the celestial healer.

Where it is and when to see it

Epsilon Serpens lies in the northern 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 43° above the horizon.
  • From New York it culminates about 54° above the horizon.
  • From Sydney it culminates about 52° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 86° S.

It ranks no. 6 in brightness among the 65 stars of Serpens in our catalogue. To find it, start from Unukalhai, the brightest: it lies about 3° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 71 years ago.

Find it on the sky map

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Leave your signature on Epsilon Serpens

Your name and a message go up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.

Without a lock, someone else can replace your signature. How the lock works

We'll ask for an email to confirm it's you, no password.

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 Epsilon Serpens

Constellation
Serpens
Apparent magnitude
3.71
Distance
70.5 light years
Coordinates (J2000)
RA 237.704° · Dec 4.478°
Catalogue
HIP 77622 · HD 141795

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

Other stars in Serpens

Serpens has 65 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 65 stars in Serpens