Star profile
Gamma Herculis
Variable starWhat is Gamma Herculis
γ Herculis sits along the hero's outline some 193 light-years away, a white A-type star whose light vibrates faintly —a subtle variability typical of Delta Scuti pulsators—. Hercules hangs head-down across the northern summer sky, and this giant marks the western edge of his silhouette.
Where it is and when to see it
Gamma Herculis 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 58° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 68° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 37° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 71° S.
It ranks no. 9 in brightness among the 136 stars of Hercules in our catalogue. To find it, start from Kornephoros, the brightest: it lies about 3° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 190 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Gamma Herculis
- Constellation
- Hercules
- Apparent magnitude
- 3.74
- Distance
- 192.7 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 245.480° · Dec 19.153°
- Catalogue
- HIP 80170 · HD 147547
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Other stars in Hercules
Hercules has 136 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- KornephorosBeta Herculis2.78
- RasalgethiAlpha 1 Herculis2.78
- Zeta Herculis2.81
- Mu Herculis3.42
- Eta Herculis3.48
- Xi Herculis3.70
- Iota Herculis3.82
- Omicron Herculis3.84