Star profile
Phi Serpens
What is Phi Serpens
Phi Serpentis is an orange star at 241 light-years, set on one of the great coils of the Serpent that the celestial Ophiuchus holds firmly in his hands. Its warm light, characteristic of K-type stars, points to a surface cooler than the Sun's and a somewhat advanced nuclear history. A quiet flame coiled around the only constellation mythology ever split into two distinct halves.
Where it is and when to see it
Phi 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 53° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 64° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 42° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 76° S.
It ranks no. 36 in brightness among the 65 stars of Serpens in our catalogue. To find it, start from Unukalhai, the brightest: it lies about 9° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 240 years ago.
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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 Phi Serpens
- Constellation
- Serpens
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.54
- Distance
- 241.3 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 239.311° · Dec 14.414°
- Catalogue
- HIP 78132 · HD 142980
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Other stars in Serpens
Serpens has 65 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- UnukalhaiAlpha Serpens2.63
- Eta Serpens3.23
- Mu Serpens3.54
- HIP 898515.39
- HIP 779025.45
- 11 Serpens5.50
- HIP 860195.54
- 64 Serpens5.56