Your Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 4:45  
clear_day Transit: 12:57  
SunsetSet: 21:09 south
wb_twilight Astronomical TwilightWhat's Visible Now
All Constellations » Hercules » 

2 Herculis

Altitude: 75.9°   Azimuth: 240.4°   Direction: West-South-West

2 Herculis is a variable giant star in the constellation of Hercules.

2 Herculis visual magnitude is 5.37. Because of its reltive faintness, 2 Herculis should be visible only from locations with dark skyes, while it is not visible at all from skyes affected by light pollution.

The table below summarizes the key facts about 2 Herculis:

5.37
Giant

2 Herculis is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 75.9°
Azimuth: 240.4°
Direction: West-South-West

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of 2 Herculis

2 Herculis is situated north of the celestial equator, as such, it is more easily visible from the northern hemisphere. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of 2 Herculis are provided in the following table:

15h 54m 37s
+43° 08’ 18”
68.68°
49.87°
Hercules

The simplified sky map below shows the position of 2 Herculis in the sky:

Finder chart 2 Herculis star
Simplified finder chart for 2 Herculis.

Visibility of 2 Herculis from your location

Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London

2 Herculis is circumpolar and transits at 22:54 UTC (altitude: 81.7°)

Digitized Sky Survey image of 2 Herculis

The image below is a photograph of 2 Herculis from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2 - see the credits section) taken in the red channel. The area of sky represented in the image is 0.5x0.5 degrees (30x30 arcmins). The proper motion of 2 Herculis is -0.032 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and 0.065 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of 2 Herculis star
DSS2 image of 2 Herculis. The red arrow shows the motion of 2 Herculis during the next 10000 years (-5.33 arcmin in Right Ascension and 10.83 arcmin in declination);

Distance of 2 Herculis from the Sun and relative movement

2 Herculis is distant 625.72 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 10 kilometers per second.

191.94 pc
625.72 ly
-10 km/s
-0.032 arcsec/year
0.065 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of 2 Herculis

2 Herculis belongs to spectral class M3 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

-1.05
M3III
3581K

The red dot in the diagram below shows where 2 Herculis is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.

HR Diagram
H-R diagram showing the position of 2 Herculis. Attribution: Richard Powell / CC BY-SA

Alternative designations of 2 Herculis

SAO45788
SAO45788