Star profile

Psi Ophiuchi

3D likeness based on its real data · class K · ~4,200 K

What is Psi Ophiuchi

Psi Ophiuchi is an orange K0 giant 199 light-years away, one of the quiet lights weaving the huge silhouette of Ophiuchus, the constellation the Sun crosses but the traditional zodiac forgets. Her surface sits at about 4,800 degrees, almost a thousand cooler than the Sun, which is why her colour leans amber. Her radial motion is nearly zero: she neither approaches nor recedes, she simply is.

Where it is and when to see it

Psi Ophiuchi 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 18° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 29° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 76° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 70° N.

It ranks no. 26 in brightness among the 88 stars of Ophiuchus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Rasalhague, the brightest: it lies about 37° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 200 years ago.

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Astronomical data for Psi Ophiuchi

Constellation: Ophiuchus
Apparent magnitude: 4.48
Distance: 199.5 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 246.026° · Dec -20.037°
Catalogue: HIP 80343 · HD 147700

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Other stars in Ophiuchus

Ophiuchus has 88 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 88 stars in Ophiuchus