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
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All Constellations » Cygnus » 

κ Cygni (kappa Cygni)

κ Cygni is a variable giant star in the constellation of Cygnus.

κ Cygni visual magnitude is 3.77. Because of its moderate brightness, κ Cygni 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 Cygni:

3.77
Giant
κ Cygni (kappa Cygni) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt. Altitude: 15°.

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of κ Cygni

κ Cygni 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 Cygni are provided in the following table:

19h 17m 06s
+53° 22’ 06”
84.4°
17.85°
Cygnus

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

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

Visibility of κ Cygni from your location

Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London

κ Cygni (kappa Cygni) is circumpolar and transits at 02:31 UTC (altitude: 88.1°)

Digitized Sky Survey image of κ Cygni

The image below is a photograph of κ Cygni 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 Cygni is 0.059 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and 0.125 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 1000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of κ Cygni (kappa Cygni) star
DSS2 image of κ Cygni. The red arrow shows the motion of κ Cygni during the next 1000 years (0.98 arcmin in Right Ascension and 2.08 arcmin in declination);

Distance of κ Cygni from the Sun and relative movement

κ Cygni is distant 123.11 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 29 kilometers per second.

37.76 pc
123.11 ly
-29 km/s
0.059 arcsec/year
0.125 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of κ Cygni

κ Cygni belongs to spectral class G9 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

0.88
G9III
4841K

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

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

Alternative designations of κ Cygni

κ Cygni
(kappa Cygni)
SAO31537
SAO31537