Star profile
Nunki
Sigma Sagittarii · Sagittarius
Hot blue starWhat is Nunki
Nunki guides Sagittarius's arrow towards the heart of the Milky Way, in one of the densest regions of the summer sky. Its name comes from Sumerian, recovered from Mesopotamian tablets that named it more than three millennia ago. At 228 light-years away, this blue star is an ancient beacon in the most literal sense: the light arriving now departed in the midst of the Enlightenment.
Where it is and when to see it
Nunki lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is July, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it culminates about 12° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 23° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 82° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 64° N.
It ranks no. 2 in brightness among the 117 stars of Sagittarius in our catalogue. To find it, start from Kaus Australis, the brightest: it lies about 11° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 230 years ago.
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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 Nunki
- Constellation
- Sagittarius
- Apparent magnitude
- 2.05
- Distance
- 227.8 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 283.816° · Dec -26.297°
- Catalogue
- HIP 92855 · HD 175191
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Sagittarius
Sagittarius has 117 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Kaus AustralisEpsilon Sagittarii1.79
- AscellaZeta Sagittarii2.60
- Kaus MediaDelta Sagittarii2.72
- Kaus BorealisLambda Sagittarii2.82
- AlbaldahPi Sagittarii2.88
- AlnaslGamma 2 Sagittarii2.98
- Eta Sagittarii3.10
- Phi Sagittarii3.17