γ Herculis (gamma Herculis)
γ Herculis is a variable and multiple giant star in the constellation of Hercules.
γ Herculis visual magnitude is 3.75. Because of its moderate brightness, γ Herculis should be easily visible from locations with dark skyes, while it can be barely visible, or not visible at all, from skyes affected by light pollution.
The table below summarizes the key facts about γ Herculis:
Celestial coordinates and finder chart of γ Herculis
γ Herculis 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 γ Herculis are provided in the following table:
The simplified sky map below shows the position of γ Herculis in the sky:
Visibility of γ Herculis from your location
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Today's γ Herculis (gamma Herculis) rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
Digitized Sky Survey image of γ Herculis
The image below is a photograph of γ Herculis 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 γ Herculis is -0.047 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and 0.043 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.
Distance of γ Herculis from the Sun and relative movement
γ Herculis is distant 195.33 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 35 kilometers per second.
Spectral properties of γ Herculis
γ Herculis belongs to spectral class A9 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.
The red dot in the diagram below shows where γ Herculis is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.
γ Herculis star system properties
γ Herculis 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 γ Herculis double sysyem: