Star profile

Pi Serpens

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

What is Pi Serpens

Pi Serpentis is a white A-type star roughly 179 light-years away, set in the head of the Serpent, that unusual constellation split in two by the hands of Ophiuchus. It is one of the suns that draw the reptilian face of an ancient symbol of wisdom and healing, linked to Asclepius. Its discreet white light keeps company with more famous stars in a region heavily frequented by amateur telescopes.

Where it is and when to see it

Pi 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 61° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 72° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 33° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 67° S.

It ranks no. 17 in brightness among the 65 stars of Serpens in our catalogue. To find it, start from Unukalhai, the brightest: it lies about 17° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 180 years ago.

Find it on the sky map

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Leave your signature on Pi Serpens

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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 Pi Serpens

Constellation: Serpens
Apparent magnitude: 4.82
Distance: 179.0 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 240.574° · Dec 22.804°
Catalogue: HIP 78554 · HD 143894

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