Blue-white giant · Scorpius
κ Scorpii
Also known as: κ Sco, HIP 86670
mag 2.4480 light-years
About
κ Scorpii is a blue-white giant of magnitude 2.4 in Scorpius, about 480 light-years away.
How to find it
- κ Scorpii is in the constellation Scorpius.
- Best evenings: around early 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 41° 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
- EyesEasy, even from town. It looks blue-white.
- 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 Scorpii (κ Sco) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 86670 |
| Type | Blue-white giant |
| Spectral type | B1.5III |
| Colour | Blue-whiteB−V colour index −0.17 |
| Magnitude | 2.4The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 480 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1540. |
| Proper motion | 0.026″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Scorpius |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 42m 29.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | −39° 01′ 48″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →