Star profile
71 Ophiuchi
What is 71 Ophiuchi
71 Ophiuchi is a G-type star —a spectral cousin of the Sun— yet sitting 273 light-years away and far more luminous, a sign that it has swollen its atmosphere with age. It lives in Ophiuchus, the Serpent-Bearer, the thirteenth zodiacal figure the Sun crosses every November without the horoscope ever noting it. Its warm, almost solar light reaches us after a journey that began in the 18th century.
Where it is and when to see it
71 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 47° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 58° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 47° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 81° S.
It ranks no. 32 in brightness among the 88 stars of Ophiuchus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Rasalhague, the brightest: it lies about 9° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 270 years ago.
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Astronomical data for 71 Ophiuchi
- Constellation
- Ophiuchus
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.64
- Distance
- 272.7 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 271.827° · Dec 8.734°
- Catalogue
- HIP 88765 · HD 165760
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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
- Mu Ophiuchi4.58
- Upsilon Ophiuchi4.62
- 20 Ophiuchi4.64
- 41 Ophiuchi4.72
- Tau Ophiuchi4.77