Star profile
Rasalhague
Alpha Ophiuchi · Ophiuchus
Nearby starWhat is Rasalhague
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.
Where it is and when to see it
Rasalhague lies in the northern 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.
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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 Rasalhague
- Constellation
- Ophiuchus
- Apparent magnitude
- 2.08
- Distance
- 48.6 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 263.734° · Dec 12.560°
- Catalogue
- HIP 86032 · HD 159561
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.
- SabikEta Ophiuchi2.43
- Zeta Ophiuchi2.54
- Yed PriorDelta Ophiuchi2.73
- CebalraiBeta Ophiuchi2.76
- Kappa Ophiuchi3.19
- Yed PosteriorEpsilon Ophiuchi3.23
- Theta Ophiuchi3.27
- Nu Ophiuchi3.32