κ Aurigae (kappa Aurigae)
κ Aurigae is a variable giant star in the constellation of Auriga.
κ Aurigae visual magnitude is 4.35. Because of its moderate brightness, κ Aurigae 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 κ Aurigae:
Celestial coordinates and finder chart of κ Aurigae
κ Aurigae is situated north of the celestial equator, as such, it is more easily visible from the northern hemisphere. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of κ Aurigae are provided in the following table:
The simplified sky map below shows the position of κ Aurigae in the sky:
Visibility of κ Aurigae from your location
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Today's κ Aurigae (kappa Aurigae) 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 κ Aurigae
The image below is a photograph of κ Aurigae 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 κ Aurigae is -0.073 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.262 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 1000 years is represented with the red arrow.
Distance of κ Aurigae from the Sun and relative movement
κ Aurigae is distant 168.82 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 20 kilometers per second.
Spectral properties of κ Aurigae
κ Aurigae belongs to spectral class G8 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.
The red dot in the diagram below shows where κ Aurigae is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.
