Rasalhague

Alp

Nearby star

Its story

Rasalhague crowns the head of Ophiuchus, the «serpent-bearer» Ptolemy drew with a great reptile coiled between his hands. Its Arabic name, «raʾs al-ḥawwāʾ», means quite literally «the head of the snake-handler». A white A-class star just 49 light-years away, it is a near neighbour in galactic terms: the light arriving tonight left its surface well within the twentieth century.

Constellation: Ophiuchus
Apparent magnitude: 2.08
Distance: 48.6 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 263.734° · Dec 12.560°
Catalogue: HIP 86032 · HD 159561

Take your star to the gift that suits you best.

Choose a tier

Symbolic commemorative gift — no ownership, no IAU recognition.