ρ Herculis (rho Herculis)

ρ Herculis is a variable and multiple giant star in the constellation of Hercules.

ρ Herculis visual magnitude is 4.52. Because of its moderate brightness, ρ Herculis 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 ρ Herculis:

Color of ρ Herculis ⬤

Magnitude of ρ Herculis 4.52

Class Giant

VISIBILITY RIGHT NOW ρ Herculis (rho Herculis) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. Altitude: 11°.

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of ρ Herculis

ρ Herculis is situated north of the celestial equator, as such, it is more easily visible from the northern hemisphere. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of ρ Herculis are provided in the following table:

Right Ascension J2000 17h 23m 40s

Declination J2000 +37° 08’ 44”

Galactic Longitude 61.44°

Galactic Latitude 32.71°

Constellation Hercules

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

Finder chart ρ Herculis (rho Herculis) star

Simplified finder chart for ρ Herculis (rho Herculis).

Visibility of ρ Herculis from your location

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

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

Azimuth: 52.9° RISE 19:13

Max altitude: 75.7° TRANSIT 6:02

Azimuth: 307.1° SET 16:47

RIGHT NOW ρ Herculis (rho Herculis) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom

Digitized Sky Survey image of ρ Herculis

The image below is a photograph of ρ 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 ρ Herculis is -0.037 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and 0.006 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

DSS2 image of ρ Herculis. The red arrow shows the motion of ρ Herculis during the next 10000 years (-6.17 arcmin in Right Ascension and 1.00 arcmin in declination);

Spectral properties of ρ Herculis

ρ Herculis belongs to spectral class B9 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

Spectral Type B9III

Color Index (B-V) -0.03

Temperature of ρ Herculis 10516K

ρ Herculis star system properties

ρ Herculis 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 ρ Herculis double sysyem:

Main star magnitude 4.52

Secondary star magnitude 5.52

Magnitude difference 1

Separation 4.2 arcsec

Alternative designations of ρ Herculis

Bayer designation ρ Herculis
(rho Herculis)

Flamsteed designation 75 Herculis

Henry Draper Catalogue HD157779

SAO Catalogue SAO66001

Durchmusterung Catalogue BD+37 2878

General Catalogue of Variable Stars 8605

Aitken Double Star Catalogue ADS10526

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