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A Complete Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 7:40  
clear_day Transit: 11:47  
SunsetSet: 15:53 south
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now?
All Constellations » Libra » 

κ Librae (kappa Librae)

Altitude: 12.1°   Azimuth: 214.6°   Direction: South-West

κ Librae is a variable and double hypergiant star in the constellation of Libra.

κ Librae visual magnitude is 4.74. Because of its moderate brightness, κ Librae 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 Librae:

4.74
Hypergiant

κ Librae (kappa Librae) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 12.1°
Azimuth: 214.6°
Direction: South-West

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of κ Librae

κ Librae 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 Librae are provided in the following table:

15h 41m 56s
-19° 40’ 44”
348.94°
27.58°
Libra

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

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

Visibility of κ Librae 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 Librae (kappa Librae) 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: 109.7°
Max altitude: 18.8°
Azimuth: 250.3°

Digitized Sky Survey image of κ Librae

The image below is a photograph of κ Librae 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 Librae is -0.037 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.103 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 1000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of κ Librae (kappa Librae) star
DSS2 image of κ Librae. The red arrow shows the motion of κ Librae during the next 1000 years (-0.62 arcmin in Right Ascension and -1.72 arcmin in declination);

Distance of κ Librae from the Sun and relative movement

κ Librae is distant 399.51 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 4 kilometers per second.

122.55 pc
399.51 ly
-4 km/s
-0.037 arcsec/year
-0.103 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of κ Librae

κ Librae belongs to spectral class M0 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a hypergiant star.

-0.70
M0III
3691K

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

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

κ Librae star system properties

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

4.74
9.74
5
172 arcsec

Alternative designations of κ Librae

κ Librae
(kappa Librae)
SAO159442
SAO159442