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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 6:47  
clear_day Transit: 12:50  
SunsetSet: 18:52 south
sleep NighttimeWhat's Visible Now
All Constellations » Aquarius » 

χ Aquarii (chi Aquarii)

Altitude: 19.6°   Azimuth: 132.5°   Direction: South-East

χ Aquarii is a variable giant star in the constellation of Aquarius.

χ Aquarii visual magnitude is 5.06. Because of its reltive faintness, χ Aquarii 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 χ Aquarii:

5.06
Giant

χ Aquarii (chi Aquarii) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 19.6°
Azimuth: 132.5°
Direction: South-East

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of χ Aquarii

χ Aquarii 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 χ Aquarii are provided in the following table:

23h 16m 50s
-07° 43’ 36”
69.45°
-60.36°
Aquarius

The simplified sky map below shows the position of χ Aquarii in the sky:

Finder chart χ Aquarii (chi Aquarii) star
Simplified finder chart for χ Aquarii (chi Aquarii).

Visibility of χ Aquarii 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 χ Aquarii (chi Aquarii) 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: 97.7°
Max altitude: 30.8°
Azimuth: 262.3°

Digitized Sky Survey image of χ Aquarii

The image below is a photograph of χ Aquarii 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 χ Aquarii is -0.016 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.015 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of χ Aquarii (chi Aquarii) star
DSS2 image of χ Aquarii. The red arrow shows the motion of χ Aquarii during the next 10000 years (-2.67 arcmin in Right Ascension and -2.50 arcmin in declination);

Distance of χ Aquarii from the Sun and relative movement

χ Aquarii is distant 640.47 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 15 kilometers per second.

196.46 pc
640.47 ly
-15 km/s
-0.016 arcsec/year
-0.015 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of χ Aquarii

χ Aquarii belongs to spectral class M3 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

-1.41
M3III
3649K

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

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

Alternative designations of χ Aquarii

χ Aquarii
(chi Aquarii)
SAO146612
SAO146612