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: 4:44  
clear_day Transit: 12:57  
SunsetSet: 21:11 south
wb_twilight Astronomical TwilightWhat's Visible Now
All Constellations » Hydra » 

κ Hydrae (kappa Hydrae)

Altitude: -38.6°   Azimuth: 299.7°   Direction: West-North-West

κ Hydrae is a variable main-sequence star in the constellation of Hydra.

κ Hydrae visual magnitude is 5.06. Because of its reltive faintness, κ Hydrae 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 Hydrae:

5.06
Main-sequence

κ Hydrae (kappa Hydrae) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: -38.6°
Azimuth: 299.7°
Direction: West-North-West

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of κ Hydrae

κ Hydrae 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 Hydrae are provided in the following table:

09h 40m 18s
-14° 19’ 55”
248.71°
27.81°
Hydra

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

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

Visibility of κ Hydrae 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 Hydrae (kappa Hydrae) 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: 104.3°
Max altitude: 24.2°
Azimuth: 255.7°
κ Hydrae (kappa Hydrae) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom

Digitized Sky Survey image of κ Hydrae

The image below is a photograph of κ Hydrae 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 Hydrae is -0.027 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.02 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of κ Hydrae (kappa Hydrae) star
DSS2 image of κ Hydrae. The red arrow shows the motion of κ Hydrae during the next 10000 years (-4.50 arcmin in Right Ascension and -3.33 arcmin in declination);

Distance of κ Hydrae from the Sun and relative movement

κ Hydrae is distant 515.01 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 18 kilometers per second.

157.98 pc
515.01 ly
18 km/s
-0.027 arcsec/year
-0.02 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of κ Hydrae

κ Hydrae belongs to spectral class B5 and has a luminosity class of V corresponding to a main-sequence star.

-0.93
B5V
12489K

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

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

Alternative designations of κ Hydrae

κ Hydrae
(kappa Hydrae)
SAO155388
SAO155388