Saiph - κ Orionis (kappa Orionis)

Saiph, also designated as κ Orionis (kappa Orionis), is a variable hypergiant star in the constellation of Orion.

Saiph visual magnitude is 2.06, making it the 57th brightest star in the sky. Thanks to its high brightness, Saiph 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 Saiph:

Color of Saiph ⬤

Magnitude of Saiph 2.06

Class Hypergiant

VISIBILITY RIGHT NOW Saiph - κ Orionis (kappa Orionis) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. Altitude: 16°.

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of Saiph

Saiph 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 Saiph are provided in the following table:

Right Ascension J2000 05h 47m 45s

Declination J2000 -09° 40’ 10”

Galactic Longitude 214.51°

Galactic Latitude -18.5°

Constellation Orion

The simplified sky map below shows the position of Saiph in the sky:

Finder chart Saiph - κ Orionis (kappa Orionis) star

Simplified finder chart for Saiph - κ Orionis (kappa Orionis).

Visibility of Saiph from your location

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

Today's Saiph - κ Orionis (kappa Orionis) rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 99.7° RISE 12:27

Max altitude: 28.9° TRANSIT 17:36

Azimuth: 260.3° SET 22:44

RIGHT NOW Saiph - κ Orionis (kappa Orionis) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom

Digitized Sky Survey image of Saiph

The image below is a photograph of Saiph 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 Saiph is 0.002 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.002 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 100000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of Saiph - κ Orionis (kappa Orionis) star

DSS2 image of Saiph. The red arrow shows the motion of Saiph during the next 100000 years (3.33 arcmin in Right Ascension and -3.33 arcmin in declination);

Distance of Saiph from the Sun and relative movement

Saiph is distant 721.24 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 21 kilometers per second.

Distance (parsec) 221.24 pc

Distance (light year) 721.24 ly

Heliocentric radial velocity 21 km/s

Proper Motion RA 0.002 arcsec/year

Proper Motion Dec -0.002 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of Saiph

Saiph belongs to spectral class B0 and has a luminosity class of I corresponding to a hypergiant star.

Absolute magnitude -4.66

Spectral Type B0I

Color Index (B-V) -0.17

Temperature of Saiph 12902K

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

H-R diagram showing the position of Saiph. Attribution: Richard Powell / CC BY-SA

Alternative designations of Saiph

Proper Name Saiph

Bayer designation κ Orionis
(kappa Orionis)

Flamsteed designation 53 Orionis

Henry Draper Catalogue HD38771

SAO Catalogue SAO132542

Hipparcos Catalogue HIP27366

Durchmusterung Catalogue BD-09 1235

FK5 Catalogue 220

General Catalogue of Variable Stars 2641

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Other stars in Orion