Rasalhague - α Ophiuchi (alpha Ophiuchi)
Rasalhague, also designated as α Ophiuchi (alpha Ophiuchi), is a variable giant star in the constellation of Ophiuchus.
Rasalhague visual magnitude is 2.08, making it the 59th brightest star in the sky. Thanks to its high brightness, Rasalhague is clearly visible when observed from locations with dark skyes, and should be also quite easily visible from light polluted areas.
The table below summarizes the key facts about Rasalhague:
Rasalhague - α Ophiuchi (alpha Ophiuchi) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom .
Altitude: -4.8°
Azimuth: 297.1°
Direction: West-North-West
Celestial coordinates and finder chart of Rasalhague
Rasalhague 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 Rasalhague are provided in the following table:
The simplified sky map below shows the position of Rasalhague in the sky:

Visibility of Rasalhague from your location
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Today's Rasalhague - α Ophiuchi (alpha Ophiuchi) rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
Digitized Sky Survey image of Rasalhague
The image below is a photograph of Rasalhague 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 Rasalhague is 0.12 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.226 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 1000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Distance of Rasalhague from the Sun and relative movement
Rasalhague is distant 46.68 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 13 kilometers per second.
Spectral properties of Rasalhague
Rasalhague belongs to spectral class A5 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.
The red dot in the diagram below shows where Rasalhague is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.
