Star profile

43 Ophiuchi

3D likeness based on its real data · class K · ~4,200 K

What is 43 Ophiuchi

43 Ophiuchi burns orange around 820 light-years away, in the body of the Serpent Bearer, that giant figure standing between Hercules and the Scorpion. Its type-K spectrum describes a surface cooler than the Sun s, the colour of old embers. Its light has been travelling since before the discovery of America; what arrives tonight is an echo of a medieval world.

Where it is and when to see it

43 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 10° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 21° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 84° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 62° N.

It ranks no. 47 in brightness among the 88 stars of Ophiuchus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Rasalhague, the brightest: it lies about 41° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 820 years ago.

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Astronomical data for 43 Ophiuchi

Constellation: Ophiuchus
Apparent magnitude: 5.30
Distance: 819.6 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 260.840° · Dec -28.143°
Catalogue: HIP 85084 · HD 157236

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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