Star profile
Kappa Ophiuchi
Variable starWhat is Kappa Ophiuchi
Kappa Ophiuchi is an orange giant resting on the shoulder of the Serpent Bearer, some ninety-one light-years away from us. Its brightness shifts with discretion, as if hesitating between two shades of the same coppery hue. It belongs to a generation of evolved stars that have already left the main sequence and are quietly preparing, in no apparent hurry, for the final phases of stellar life. Its radius comfortably exceeds the Sun's, a swollen profile that announces a still peaceful old age.
Where it is and when to see it
Kappa Ophiuchi lies in the northern 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 48° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 59° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 47° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 81° S.
It ranks no. 6 in brightness among the 88 stars of Ophiuchus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Rasalhague, the brightest: it lies about 10° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 92 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Kappa Ophiuchi
- Constellation
- Ophiuchus
- Apparent magnitude
- 3.19
- Distance
- 91.5 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 254.417° · Dec 9.375°
- Catalogue
- HIP 83000 · HD 153210
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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
- Yed PriorDelta Ophiuchi2.73
- CebalraiBeta Ophiuchi2.76
- Yed PosteriorEpsilon Ophiuchi3.23
- Theta Ophiuchi3.27
- Nu Ophiuchi3.32