Star profile
Rho Ophiuchi
Hot blue starWhat is Rho Ophiuchi
Rho Ophiuchi gives its name to one of the nearest stellar nurseries to us: the Rho Ophiuchi molecular cloud, where dust and the pigments of newborn stars stain the sky blue, gold and violet. The star itself is a multiple system of hot blue suns, still embedded in their own placenta of gas.
Where it is and when to see it
Rho 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 15° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 26° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 80° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 67° N.
It ranks no. 28 in brightness among the 88 stars of Ophiuchus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Rasalhague, the brightest: it lies about 40° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 360 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 Rho Ophiuchi
- Constellation
- Ophiuchus
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.57
- Distance
- 361.2 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 246.396° · Dec -23.447°
- Catalogue
- HIP 80473 · HD 147933
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Other stars in Ophiuchus
Ophiuchus has 88 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- RasalhagueAlpha Ophiuchi2.08
- SabikEta Ophiuchi2.43
- Zeta Ophiuchi2.54
- Omega Ophiuchi4.45
- Psi Ophiuchi4.48
- HIP 853654.53
- Mu Ophiuchi4.58
- Upsilon Ophiuchi4.62