Unukalhai - α Serpentis (alpha Serpentis)
Unukalhai, also designated as α Serpentis (alpha Serpentis), is a multiple giant star in the constellation of Serpens.
Unukalhai visual magnitude is 2.65. Thanks to its high brightness, Unukalhai 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 Unukalhai:
Celestial coordinates and finder chart of Unukalhai
Unukalhai 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 Unukalhai are provided in the following table:
The simplified sky map below shows the position of Unukalhai in the sky:
Visibility of Unukalhai from your location
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Today's Unukalhai - α Serpentis (alpha Serpentis) rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
Digitized Sky Survey image of Unukalhai
The image below is a photograph of Unukalhai 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 Unukalhai is 0.137 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and 0.047 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 1000 years is represented with the red arrow.
Distance of Unukalhai from the Sun and relative movement
Unukalhai is distant 73.19 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 3 kilometers per second.
Spectral properties of Unukalhai
Unukalhai belongs to spectral class K2 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.
The red dot in the diagram below shows where Unukalhai is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.
Unukalhai star system properties
Unukalhai is a visual double star which can be observed only with the help of very large telescopes. The table below shows key information about the Unukalhai double sysyem: