Star profile

Xi Ophiuchi

3D likeness based on its real data · class F · ~6,500 K

What is Xi Ophiuchi

Xi Ophiuchi shines just 57 light-years away within the vast Serpent-Bearer, the celestial figure who holds the snake between his hands. It is a relatively nearby F-type star, hotter and whiter than the Sun, with a crisp light that travels a cosmologically short distance before reaching an earthbound gaze.

Where it is and when to see it

Xi 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 June, when it culminates around midnight.

From London it culminates about 17° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 28° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 77° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 69° N.

It ranks no. 23 in brightness among the 88 stars of Ophiuchus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Rasalhague, the brightest: it lies about 34° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 57 years ago.

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Astronomical data for Xi Ophiuchi

Constellation: Ophiuchus
Apparent magnitude: 4.39
Distance: 56.6 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 260.252° · Dec -21.113°
Catalogue: HIP 84893 · HD 156897

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Other stars in Ophiuchus

Ophiuchus has 88 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 88 stars in Ophiuchus