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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
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now?
All Constellations » Scorpius » 

β2 Scorpii (beta2 Scorpii)

Altitude: 8.0°   Azimuth: 223.4°   Direction: South-West

β2 Scorpii is a variable and multiple main-sequence star in the constellation of Scorpius.

β2 Scorpii visual magnitude is 4.92. Because of its moderate brightness, β2 Scorpii 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 β2 Scorpii is -0.019 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.02 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of β2 Scorpii (beta2 Scorpii) star
DSS2 image of β2 Scorpii. The red arrow shows the motion of β2 Scorpii during the next 10000 years (-3.17 arcmin in Right Ascension and -3.33 arcmin in declination);

Key facts about β2 Scorpii

4.92
Main-sequence

β2 Scorpii (beta2 Scorpii) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 8.0°
Azimuth: 223.4°
Direction: South-West

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of β2 Scorpii

β2 Scorpii 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 β2 Scorpii are provided in the following table:

16h 05m 26s
-19° 48’ 06”
353.2°
23.6°
Scorpius

The simplified sky map below shows the position of β2 Scorpii in the sky:

Finder chart β2 Scorpii (beta2 Scorpii) star
Simplified finder chart for β2 Scorpii (beta2 Scorpii).

Visibility of β2 Scorpii 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 β2 Scorpii (beta2 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: 109.8°
Max altitude: 18.7°
Azimuth: 250.2°

Distance of β2 Scorpii from the Sun and relative movement

β2 Scorpii is distant 1,131.94 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 4 kilometers per second.

347.22 pc
1,131.94 ly
-4 km/s
-0.019 arcsec/year
-0.02 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of β2 Scorpii

β2 Scorpii belongs to spectral class B2 and has a luminosity class of V corresponding to a main-sequence star.

-2.78
B2V
10382K

The red dot in the diagram below shows where β2 Scorpii is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.

HR Diagram
H-R diagram showing the position of β2 Scorpii. Attribution: Richard Powell / CC BY-SA

β2 Scorpii star system properties

β2 Scorpii 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 β2 Scorpii double sysyem:

4.92
6.22
1.3
0 arcsec

Alternative designations of β2 Scorpii

β2 Scorpii
(beta2 Scorpii)
SAO159683
SAO159683