Orange giant · Ophiuchus
κ Ophiuchi
Also known as: κ Oph, HIP 83000
mag 3.291 light-years
About
κ Ophiuchi is an orange giant of magnitude 3.2 in Ophiuchus, about 91 light-years away.
How to find it
- κ Ophiuchi is in the constellation Ophiuchus.
- Best evenings: around late July 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 71° 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
- EyesVisible from the suburbs on a clear night, but lost in bright city skies.
- 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 | κ Ophiuchi (κ Oph) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 83000 |
| Type | Orange giant |
| Spectral type | K2IIIvar |
| Colour | Pale orangeB−V colour index 1.16 |
| Magnitude | 3.2The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 91 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1935. |
| Proper motion | 0.29″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Ophiuchus |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 57m 40.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | +09° 22′ 30″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →