Your Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 4:47  
clear_day Transit: 12:56  
SunsetSet: 21:06 south
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now
All Constellations » Auriga » 

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:

4.35
Giant
κ Aurigae (kappa Aurigae) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt. Altitude: 31°.

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:

06h 15m 22s
+29° 29’ 53”
182.72°
5.92°
Auriga

The simplified sky map below shows the position of κ Aurigae in the sky:

Finder chart κ Aurigae (kappa Aurigae) star
Simplified finder chart for κ Aurigae (kappa Aurigae).

Visibility of κ Aurigae 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 κ Aurigae (kappa Aurigae) 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: 60.5°
Max altitude: 68.0°
Azimuth: 299.5°
κ Aurigae (kappa Aurigae) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom

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.

Image of κ Aurigae (kappa Aurigae) star
DSS2 image of κ Aurigae. The red arrow shows the motion of κ Aurigae during the next 1000 years (-1.22 arcmin in Right Ascension and -4.37 arcmin in declination);

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.

51.79 pc
168.82 ly
20 km/s
-0.073 arcsec/year
-0.262 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of κ Aurigae

κ Aurigae belongs to spectral class G8 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

0.78
G8III
4695K

The red dot in the diagram below shows where κ Aurigae is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.

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

Alternative designations of κ Aurigae

κ Aurigae
(kappa Aurigae)
SAO78143
SAO78143