Star profile
66 Ophiuchi
Variable starWhat is 66 Ophiuchi
66 Ophiuchi is a variable blue B-type star 651 light-years away, deep inside vast Ophiuchus, the serpent-bearer straddling the celestial equator. Its brightness is not constant: it shifts subtly, the fingerprint of pulsations or gas ejections common in hot B stars whose surfaces hover near 20,000 degrees. It belongs to a region of sky thick with young clusters and dark nebulae.
Where it is and when to see it
66 Ophiuchi 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, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it culminates about 43° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 54° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 52° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 86° S.
It ranks no. 36 in brightness among the 88 stars of Ophiuchus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Rasalhague, the brightest: it lies about 10° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 650 years ago.
It opens in your browser. Free, no account, nothing to install.
Leave your signature on 66 Ophiuchi
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.
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 66 Ophiuchi
- Constellation
- Ophiuchus
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.79
- Distance
- 651.1 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 270.066° · Dec 4.369°
- Catalogue
- HIP 88149 · HD 164284
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.
- RasalhagueAlpha Ophiuchi2.08
- SabikEta Ophiuchi2.43
- Zeta Ophiuchi2.54
- 41 Ophiuchi4.72
- Tau Ophiuchi4.77
- 51 Ophiuchi4.78
- 30 Ophiuchi4.82
- 74 Ophiuchi4.85