Star profile

Shaula

Lambda Scorpii · Scorpius

Variable star

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

What is Shaula

Shaula guards the Scorpion's stinger —a blue-white variable 571 light-years away, so hot its surface tops 20,000 degrees. Its name comes from the Arabic «al-šawlā», the raised tail poised to strike, and together with neighbouring Lesath it forms the double gleam that has drawn the gaze toward the galactic core for millennia. The light gathered tonight set out before the first Gutenberg Bible was printed in Europe.

Where it is and when to see it

Shaula 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 1° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 12° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 87° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 53° N.

It ranks no. 2 in brightness among the 104 stars of Scorpius in our catalogue. To find it, start from Antares, the brightest: it lies about 17° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 570 years ago.

Find it on the sky map

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

Leave your signature on Shaula

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 Shaula

Constellation: Scorpius
Apparent magnitude: 1.62
Distance: 571.3 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 263.402° · Dec -37.104°
Catalogue: HIP 85927 · HD 158926

A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.

Other stars in Scorpius

Scorpius has 104 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 104 stars in Scorpius