Star profile
70 Herculis
What is 70 Herculis
70 Herculis is a white A-type star resting some four hundred light-years away, in the constellation that commemorates the hero of the twelve labours. Its clean, cold light set out when Galileo had not yet turned his spyglass to the sky. On clear summer nights, Hercules rises as an outstretched figure above the horizon, and this discreet star fits in as one of many precise pieces of its geometry.
Where it is and when to see it
70 Herculis 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 63° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 74° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 32° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 66° S.
It ranks no. 51 in brightness among the 136 stars of Hercules in our catalogue. To find it, start from Kornephoros, the brightest: it lies about 12° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 430 years ago.
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Astronomical data for 70 Herculis
- Constellation
- Hercules
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.13
- Distance
- 427.5 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 260.226° · Dec 24.499°
- Catalogue
- HIP 84887 · HD 157198
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Other stars in Hercules
Hercules has 136 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- KornephorosBeta Herculis2.78
- RasalgethiAlpha 1 Herculis2.78
- Zeta Herculis2.81
- 5 Herculis5.10
- 101 Herculis5.10
- 107 Herculis5.12
- 43 Herculis5.15
- 90 Herculis5.17