Star profile

36 Serpens

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

What is 36 Serpens

36 Serpentis is a white A-type star in the head of the Serpent, 162 light-years away, glowing at magnitude 5.09. Its surface reaches temperatures that comfortably double the Sun's, and its bluish-white light betrays a young star still in the first half of its life. We find it near Unukalhai, the red heart of the constellation —a small cold spark beside the orange pulse of the snake.

Where it is and when to see it

36 Serpens 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 35° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 46° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 59° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 87° N.

It ranks no. 21 in brightness among the 65 stars of Serpens in our catalogue. To find it, start from Unukalhai, the brightest: it lies about 10° 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 36 Serpens

Constellation: Serpens
Apparent magnitude: 5.09
Distance: 162.3 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 237.815° · Dec -3.090°
Catalogue: HIP 77660 · HD 141851

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Other stars in Serpens

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

See all 65 stars in Serpens