Star profile
Omicron Serpens
Variable starWhat is Omicron Serpens
ο Serpentis is a white A-type star whose brightness oscillates slightly, joining the family of variables that pulse over hours or days. It inhabits the tail of the Serpent, that peculiar figure split in two by the Serpent-Bearer —Ophiuchus— at the very heart of the summer sky. Its clean, swift light crosses space for more than a century and a half.
Where it is and when to see it
Omicron Serpens 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 26° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 36° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 69° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 77° N.
It ranks no. 10 in brightness among the 65 stars of Serpens in our catalogue. To find it, start from Unukalhai, the brightest: it lies about 35° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 170 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Omicron Serpens
- Constellation
- Serpens
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.24
- Distance
- 173.2 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 265.354° · Dec -12.875°
- Catalogue
- HIP 86565 · HD 160613
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Other stars in Serpens
Serpens has 65 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- UnukalhaiAlpha Serpens2.63
- Eta Serpens3.23
- Mu Serpens3.54
- Delta Serpens3.80
- Gamma Serpens3.85
- GudjaKappa Serpens4.09
- Nu Serpens4.32
- Lambda Serpens4.42