Star profile
68 Ophiuchi
What is 68 Ophiuchi
68 Ophiuchi is a white A-type star pulsing nearly 293 light-years away, within the vast polygon traced by Ophiuchus, the serpent bearer. Hotter and more luminous than the Sun, it radiates with the bluish purity typical of A stars, while the ecliptic crosses this very sector and the Sun symbolically traverses it each November. Its light departed as the first refracting telescopes were lifted toward the European sky.
Where it is and when to see it
68 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: 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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The signature wall
Stelvia's sky works like a signature wall: anyone can leave their name and a message on a real star, and that signature goes up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.
A signature without a lock can be replaced by someone else's. The lock makes the signature permanent and lets you choose a symbolic name for the star, always shown next to the star's catalogue identifier. How the lock works
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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 68 Ophiuchi
- Constellation
- Ophiuchus
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.42
- Distance
- 292.6 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 270.438° · Dec 1.305°
- Catalogue
- HIP 88290 · HD 164577
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
- Sigma Ophiuchi4.34
- Iota Ophiuchi4.39
- Xi Ophiuchi4.39
- Omega Ophiuchi4.45
- Psi Ophiuchi4.48