Star profile
Chi Ophiuchi
Variable starWhat is Chi Ophiuchi
Chi Ophiuchi is a variable Be star, a blue giant spinning so fast that it sheds matter from its equator into a glowing gas disc. What makes it remarkable is its setting: it lies wrapped in the reflection nebula IC 4592, where its light bounces off cosmic dust grains and paints the soft blue silhouette of the Blue Horsehead, one of the most delicate portraits in the Ophiuchus sky.
Where it is and when to see it
Chi 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: the Sun sits at the opposite point of the sky and the star culminates around midnight. How high it climbs above the horizon depends on the latitude you watch from.
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The signature wall
Stelvia's sky works like a signature wall: anyone can leave their name and a message on a real star, and that signature goes up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.
A signature without a lock can be replaced by someone else's. The lock makes the signature permanent and lets you choose a symbolic name for the star, always shown next to the star's catalogue identifier. How the lock works
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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 Chi Ophiuchi
- Constellation
- Ophiuchus
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.22
- Distance
- 525.3 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 246.756° · Dec -18.456°
- Catalogue
- HIP 80569 · HD 148184
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
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
- 67 Ophiuchi3.93
- 70 Ophiuchi4.03
- 44 Ophiuchi4.16
- 45 Ophiuchi4.28
- Phi Ophiuchi4.29