
Star profile
HIP 81724
What is HIP 81724
Suspended in Ophiuchus, this yellow class-G star echoes the colour of our Sun, yet beats much farther away —its glow has been travelling 412 years before reaching us. When it released the light we see today, Galileo was refining his telescope in Padua and rewriting celestial physics. Older and likely more luminous than the star that warms us, it offers a glimpse of the Sun's distant future.
Where it is and when to see it
HIP 81724 lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is June, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it culminates about 21° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 32° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 74° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 72° N.
It ranks no. 40 in brightness among the 88 stars of Ophiuchus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Rasalhague, the brightest: it lies about 33° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 410 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 HIP 81724
- Constellation
- Ophiuchus
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.91
- Distance
- 412.4 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 250.393° · Dec -17.742°
- Catalogue
- HIP 81724 · HD 150416
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
- 30 Ophiuchi4.82
- 74 Ophiuchi4.85
- 58 Ophiuchi4.86
- HIP 846715.03
- Guniibuu B5.07