Alniyat - σ Scorpii (sigma Scorpii)

Altitude: 5.8° Azimuth: 214.5° Direction: South-West

Alniyat, also designated as σ Scorpii (sigma Scorpii), is a variable and multiple giant star in the constellation of Scorpius.

Alniyat visual magnitude is 2.89. Thanks to its high brightness, Alniyat is clearly visible when observed from locations with dark skyes, and should be also quite easily visible from light polluted areas.

The table below summarizes the key facts about Alniyat:

Color of Alniyat ⬤

Magnitude of Alniyat 2.89

Class Giant

VISIBILITY RIGHT NOW

Alniyat - σ Scorpii (sigma Scorpii) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 5.8°
Azimuth: 214.5°
Direction: South-West

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of Alniyat

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

Right Ascension J2000 16h 21m 11s

Declination J2000 -25° 35’ 34”

Galactic Longitude 351.31°

Galactic Latitude 17°

Constellation Scorpius

The simplified sky map below shows the position of Alniyat in the sky:

Finder chart Alniyat - σ Scorpii (sigma Scorpii) star

Simplified finder chart for Alniyat - σ Scorpii (sigma Scorpii).

Visibility of Alniyat from your location

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

Today's Alniyat - σ Scorpii (sigma Scorpii) rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 115.6° RISE 7:30

Max altitude: 12.9° TRANSIT 11:01

Azimuth: 244.4° SET 14:32

Digitized Sky Survey image of Alniyat

The image below is a photograph of Alniyat 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 Alniyat is -0.01 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.021 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of Alniyat - σ Scorpii (sigma Scorpii) star

DSS2 image of Alniyat. The red arrow shows the motion of Alniyat during the next 10000 years (-1.67 arcmin in Right Ascension and -3.50 arcmin in declination);

Distance of Alniyat from the Sun and relative movement

Alniyat is distant 734.23 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 3 kilometers per second.

Distance (parsec) 225.23 pc

Distance (light year) 734.23 ly

Heliocentric radial velocity 3 km/s

Proper Motion RA -0.01 arcsec/year

Proper Motion Dec -0.021 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of Alniyat

Alniyat belongs to spectral class B1 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

Absolute magnitude -3.87

Spectral Type B1III

Color Index (B-V) 0.13

Temperature of Alniyat 8748K

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

H-R diagram showing the position of Alniyat. Attribution: Richard Powell / CC BY-SA

Alniyat star system properties

Alniyat is a visual double star which can be observed only with the help of very large telescopes. The table below shows key information about the Alniyat double sysyem:

Main star magnitude 2.89

Secondary star magnitude 4.89

Magnitude difference 2

Separation 0 arcsec

Alternative designations of Alniyat

Proper Name Alniyat

Bayer designation σ Scorpii
(sigma Scorpii)

Flamsteed designation 20 Scorpii

Henry Draper Catalogue HD147165

SAO Catalogue SAO184336

Hipparcos Catalogue HIP80112

Durchmusterung Catalogue CD-2511485

FK5 Catalogue 607

General Catalogue of Variable Stars Sig Sco

Aitken Double Star Catalogue ADS10009

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