Star profile

Theta Ophiuchi

Variable star

3D likeness based on its real data · class B · ~15,000 K

What is Theta Ophiuchi

Theta Ophiuchi stands in the southern foot of the Serpent Bearer, set against the rich star fields that face the centre of the Milky Way. A blue type B giant some 436 light-years away, it belongs to the Scorpius–Centaurus association, a brotherhood of young, massive stars born from the same gas. Its brightness varies with the subtlety of beta Cephei pulsations —internal heartbeats barely visible to the naked eye— that betray the restlessness of a body destined for a brief, luminous life.

Where it is and when to see it

Theta 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 14° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 24° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 81° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 65° N.

It ranks no. 8 in brightness among the 88 stars of Ophiuchus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Rasalhague, the brightest: it lies about 38° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 440 years ago.

Find it on the sky map

It opens in your browser. Free, no account, nothing to install.

Leave your signature on Theta Ophiuchi

Your name and a message go up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.

Without a lock, someone else can replace your signature. How the lock works

We'll ask for an email to confirm it's you, no password.

Write my signature

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 Theta Ophiuchi

Constellation: Ophiuchus
Apparent magnitude: 3.27
Distance: 436.1 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 260.502° · Dec -25.000°
Catalogue: HIP 84970 · HD 157056

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