Orange giant · Scutum
ζ Scuti
Also known as: ζ Sct, HIP 90135
mag 4.7210 light-years
About
ζ Scuti is an orange giant of magnitude 4.7 in Scutum, about 210 light-years away.
How to find it
- ζ Scuti is in the constellation Scutum.
- Best evenings: around mid-August it is highest at about 9 pm (10 pm in summer time); a month earlier, two hours later.
- Where on Earth: it is seen well, at least 10° up, from south of 71° N.
When it rises and sets tonight, how high it climbs and how much the Moon gets in the way are worked out in your browser for your place.
What you will see
- EyesNeeds a dark sky away from city lights.
- Binoculars (10×50)A sharp point; binoculars bring out its colour and the fainter stars around it.
- Telescope (6–8 inch)Still a point of light at any magnification — stars are too far away to show a disc. Low in the sky, bright stars twinkle and flash colours.
Stars look the same in any instrument: brighter and sharper, but never bigger.
Facts
| Designation | ζ Scuti (ζ Sct) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 90135 |
| Type | Orange giant |
| Spectral type | K0III |
| Colour | Pale orangeB−V colour index 0.93 |
| Magnitude | 4.7The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 210 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1820. |
| Proper motion | 0.074″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Scutum |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 23m 39.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −08° 56′ 04″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →