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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
SunriseRise: 6:04  
clear_day Transit: 12:06  
SunsetSet: 18:09
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All Constellations » Scorpius » 

κ Scorpii (kappa Scorpii)

Altitude: -19.0°   Azimuth: 230.4°   Direction: South-West

κ Scorpii is a variable giant star in the constellation of Scorpius.

κ Scorpii visual magnitude is 2.41. Thanks to its high brightness, κ Scorpii is clearly visible when observed from locations with dark skies, and should be also quite easily visible from light polluted areas.

The proper motion of κ Scorpii is -0.006 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.027 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of κ Scorpii (kappa Scorpii) star
DSS2 image of κ Scorpii. The red arrow shows the motion of κ Scorpii during the next 10000 years (-1.00 arcmin in Right Ascension and -4.50 arcmin in declination);

Key facts about κ Scorpii

2.41
Giant

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

Altitude: -19.0°
Azimuth: 230.4°
Direction: South-West

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of κ Scorpii

κ Scorpii is situated south of the celestial equator, as such, it is more easily visible from the southern hemisphere. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of κ Scorpii are provided in the following table:

17h 42m 29s
-39° 01’ 48”
351.04°
-4.72°
Scorpius

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

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

Visibility of κ Scorpii from your location

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

κ Scorpii (kappa Scorpii) is currently not visible from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt

Distance of κ Scorpii from the Sun and relative movement

κ Scorpii is distant 463.73 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 14 kilometers per second.

142.25 pc
463.73 ly
-14 km/s
-0.006 arcsec/year
-0.027 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of κ Scorpii

κ Scorpii belongs to spectral class B1 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

-3.36
B1III
14087K

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

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

Alternative designations of κ Scorpii

κ Scorpii
(kappa Scorpii)
SAO209163
SAO209163