Star profile

Sabik

Eta Ophiuchi · Ophiuchus

3D likeness based on its real data · class A · ~8,500 K

What is Sabik

Sabik inhabits the body of Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer, a white A-type star relatively nearby at 88 light-years. Its name derives from the Arabic «As-Sabiq», «the preceding one». Ophiuchus is the thirteenth zodiacal figure the Sun crosses each year, though Western astrology has traditionally ignored it. Sabik is one of only a few stars listed by name in U.S. Navy celestial navigation tables, alongside a select handful of luminaries used to find one's bearings at night.

Where it is and when to see it

Sabik 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 23° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 34° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 72° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 74° N.

It ranks no. 2 in brightness among the 88 stars of Ophiuchus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Rasalhague, the brightest: it lies about 29° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 88 years ago.

Find it on the sky map

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Astronomical data for Sabik

Constellation: Ophiuchus
Apparent magnitude: 2.43
Distance: 88.4 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 257.595° · Dec -15.725°
Catalogue: HIP 84012 · HD 155125

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.

See all 88 stars in Ophiuchus