Star profile
Theta Ophiuchi
Variable starWhat 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: the Sun sits at the opposite point of the sky and the star culminates around midnight. How high it climbs above the horizon depends on the latitude you watch from.
It opens in your browser. Free, no account, nothing to install.
The signature wall
Stelvia's sky works like a signature wall: anyone can leave their name and a message on a real star, and that signature goes up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.
A signature without a lock can be replaced by someone else's. The lock makes the signature permanent and lets you choose a symbolic name for the star, always shown next to the star's catalogue identifier. How the lock works
If you don't have an account yet, we'll ask for an email to confirm it's you: we send you a link and that's it, no password.
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.
- RasalhagueAlpha Ophiuchi2.08
- SabikEta Ophiuchi2.43
- Zeta Ophiuchi2.54
- CebalraiBeta Ophiuchi2.76
- Kappa Ophiuchi3.19
- Yed PosteriorEpsilon Ophiuchi3.23
- Nu Ophiuchi3.32
- HYG 1191313.40