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, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it culminates about 20° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 31° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 75° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 72° N.
It ranks no. 17 in brightness among the 88 stars of Ophiuchus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Rasalhague, the brightest: it lies about 35° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 530 years ago.
It opens in your browser. Free, no account, nothing to install.
Leave your signature on Chi Ophiuchi
Your name and a message go up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.
Without a lock, someone else can replace your signature. How the lock works
We'll ask for an email to confirm it's you, no password.
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