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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 » Scutum » 

α Scuti (alpha Scuti)

Altitude: 23.8°   Azimuth: 216.4°   Direction: South-West

α Scuti is a variable giant star in the constellation of Scutum.

α Scuti visual magnitude is 3.85. Because of its moderate brightness, α Scuti should be easily visible from locations with dark skies, while it can be barely visible, or not visible at all, from skies affected by light pollution.

The proper motion of α Scuti is -0.015 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.312 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 1000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of α Scuti (alpha Scuti) star
DSS2 image of α Scuti. The red arrow shows the motion of α Scuti during the next 1000 years (-0.25 arcmin in Right Ascension and -5.20 arcmin in declination);

Key facts about α Scuti

3.85
Giant

α Scuti (alpha Scuti) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 23.8°
Azimuth: 216.4°
Direction: South-West

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of α Scuti

α Scuti is situated close to the celestial equator, as such, it is at least partly visible from both hemispheres in certain times of the year. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of α Scuti are provided in the following table:

18h 35m 12s
-08° 14’ 39”
23.76°
-0.17°
Scutum

The simplified sky map below shows the position of α Scuti in the sky:

Finder chart α Scuti (alpha Scuti) star
Simplified finder chart for α Scuti (alpha Scuti).

Visibility of α Scuti 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 α Scuti (alpha Scuti) 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: 98.2°
Max altitude: 30.3°
Azimuth: 261.8°

Distance of α Scuti from the Sun and relative movement

α Scuti is distant 174.15 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 36 kilometers per second.

53.42 pc
174.15 ly
36 km/s
-0.015 arcsec/year
-0.312 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of α Scuti

α Scuti belongs to spectral class K3 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

0.21
K3III
4069K

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

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

Alternative designations of α Scuti

α Scuti
(alpha Scuti)
SAO142408
SAO142408