Star profile
51 Ophiuchi
What is 51 Ophiuchi
51 Ophiuchi is one of the few known stars wrapped in a still-forming debris disc —a young planetary system caught mid-genesis 406 light-years away. Its disc holds gas and dust, silicate grains and traces of water, carbon monoxide and dioxide. Astronomers regard it as a younger analogue of the celebrated Beta Pictoris cradle. The light arriving tonight left before the Renaissance.
Where it is and when to see it
51 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 15° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 25° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 80° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 66° N.
It ranks no. 35 in brightness among the 88 stars of Ophiuchus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Rasalhague, the brightest: it lies about 37° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 410 years ago.
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Astronomical data for 51 Ophiuchi
- Constellation
- Ophiuchus
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.78
- Distance
- 405.7 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 262.854° · Dec -23.963°
- Catalogue
- HIP 85755 · HD 158643
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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
- 71 Ophiuchi4.64
- 41 Ophiuchi4.72
- Tau Ophiuchi4.77
- 66 Ophiuchi4.79
- 30 Ophiuchi4.82