Orange giant · Sagitta
η Sagittae
Also known as: η Sge, HIP 98920
mag 5.1160 light-years
About
η Sagittae is an orange giant of magnitude 5.1 in Sagitta, about 160 light-years away.
How to find it
- η Sagittae is in the constellation Sagitta.
- Best evenings: around early September 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 north of 60° S.
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 | η Sagittae (η Sge) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 98920 |
| Type | Orange giant |
| Spectral type | K2III |
| Colour | Pale orangeB−V colour index 1.06 |
| Magnitude | 5.1The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 160 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1870. |
| Proper motion | 0.085″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Sagitta |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 20h 05m 09.5s |
| Declination (J2000) | +19° 59′ 28″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →