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A Complete Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
SunriseRise: 6:04  
clear_day Transit: 12:06  
SunsetSet: 18:09
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All Constellations » Scorpius » 

Alniyat - σ Scorpii (sigma Scorpii)

Altitude: 6.8°   Azimuth: 212.1°   Direction: South-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 skies, and should be also quite easily visible from light polluted areas.

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);

Key facts about Alniyat

2.89
Giant

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

Altitude: 6.8°
Azimuth: 212.1°
Direction: South-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:

16h 21m 11s
-25° 35’ 34”
351.31°
17°
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°
Max altitude: 12.9°
Azimuth: 244.4°

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.

225.23 pc
734.23 ly
3 km/s
-0.01 arcsec/year
-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.

-3.87
B1III
8748K

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

HR 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:

2.89
4.89
2
0 arcsec

Alternative designations of Alniyat

Alniyat
σ Scorpii
(sigma Scorpii)
SAO184336
SAO184336