Star profile
Chi Scorpii
What is Chi Scorpii
Chi Scorpii is an orange type-K giant nestled in the Scorpion, one of the most recognisable zodiacal constellations thanks to its curving, faithfully animal shape. Its warm tone contrasts with the deep red of nearby Antares —the «rival of Mars»— and with the blues of the young stars of the tail. Its light takes almost 380 years to reach our telescopes.
Where it is and when to see it
Chi Scorpii 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 27° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 37° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 68° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 78° N.
It ranks no. 47 in brightness among the 104 stars of Scorpius in our catalogue. To find it, start from Antares, the brightest: it lies about 15° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 380 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Chi Scorpii
- Constellation
- Scorpius
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.24
- Distance
- 378.4 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 243.462° · Dec -11.838°
- Catalogue
- HIP 79540 · HD 145897
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Other stars in Scorpius
Scorpius has 104 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- AntaresAlpha Scorpii1.06
- ShaulaLambda Scorpii1.62
- SargasTheta Scorpii1.86
- HIP 793025.09
- HIP 851625.10
- HIP 824935.23
- HIP 809455.31
- HIP 790505.35