κ Herculis (kappa Herculis)

κ Herculis is a multiple giant star in the constellation of Hercules.

κ Herculis visual magnitude is 6.25. Because of its reltive faintness, κ Herculis 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 κ Herculis:

Color of κ Herculis ⬤

Magnitude of κ Herculis 6.25

Class Giant

VISIBILITY RIGHT NOW κ Herculis (kappa Herculis) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. Altitude: 15°.

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of κ Herculis

κ 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 κ Herculis are provided in the following table:

Right Ascension J2000 16h 08m 04s

Declination J2000 +17° 03’ 15”

Galactic Longitude 31.03°

Galactic Latitude 43.64°

Constellation Hercules

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

Finder chart κ Herculis (kappa Herculis) star

Simplified finder chart for κ Herculis (kappa Herculis).

Visibility of κ Herculis from your location

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

Today's κ Herculis (kappa Herculis) rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 72.9° RISE 20:46

Max altitude: 55.6° TRANSIT 4:18

Azimuth: 287.1° SET 11:46

RIGHT NOW κ Herculis (kappa Herculis) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom

Digitized Sky Survey image of κ Herculis

The image below is a photograph of κ 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 κ Herculis is -0.031 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.028 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of κ Herculis (kappa Herculis) star

DSS2 image of κ Herculis. The red arrow shows the motion of κ Herculis during the next 10000 years (-5.17 arcmin in Right Ascension and -4.67 arcmin in declination);

Distance of κ Herculis from the Sun and relative movement

κ Herculis is distant 471.10 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 38 kilometers per second.

Distance (parsec) 144.51 pc

Distance (light year) 471.10 ly

Heliocentric radial velocity 38 km/s

Proper Motion RA -0.031 arcsec/year

Proper Motion Dec -0.028 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of κ Herculis

κ Herculis belongs to spectral class K1 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

Absolute magnitude 0.45

Spectral Type K1III

Color Index (B-V) 1.14

Temperature of κ Herculis 4430K

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

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

κ Herculis star system properties

κ Herculis is a visual double star which can be observed with binoculars or small telescopes. The table below shows key information about the κ Herculis double sysyem:

Main star magnitude 6.25

Secondary star magnitude 7.45

Magnitude difference 1.2

Separation 28.1 arcsec

Alternative designations of κ Herculis

Bayer designation κ Herculis
(kappa Herculis)

Flamsteed designation 7 Herculis

Henry Draper Catalogue HD145000

SAO Catalogue SAO101952

Hipparcos Catalogue HIP79045

Durchmusterung Catalogue BD+17 2965

Aitken Double Star Catalogue ADS9938

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In Evidence

Other stars in Hercules