υ Ophiuchi (upsilon Ophiuchi)

υ Ophiuchi is a variable and double star in the constellation of Ophiuchus.

υ Ophiuchi visual magnitude is 4.63. Because of its moderate brightness, υ Ophiuchi 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 υ Ophiuchi:

Color of υ Ophiuchi ⬤

Magnitude of υ Ophiuchi 4.63

Class

VISIBILITY RIGHT NOW υ Ophiuchi (upsilon Ophiuchi) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of υ Ophiuchi

υ Ophiuchi 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 υ Ophiuchi are provided in the following table:

Right Ascension J2000 16h 27m 48s

Declination J2000 -08° 22’ 18”

Galactic Longitude 6.74°

Galactic Latitude 26.74°

Constellation Ophiuchus

The simplified sky map below shows the position of υ Ophiuchi in the sky:

Finder chart υ Ophiuchi (upsilon Ophiuchi) star

Simplified finder chart for υ Ophiuchi (upsilon Ophiuchi).

Visibility of υ Ophiuchi from your location

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

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

Azimuth: 98.4° RISE 23:31

Max altitude: 30.1° TRANSIT 4:50

Azimuth: 261.6° SET 10:06

RIGHT NOW υ Ophiuchi (upsilon Ophiuchi) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom

Digitized Sky Survey image of υ Ophiuchi

The image below is a photograph of υ Ophiuchi 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 υ Ophiuchi is -0.087 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and 0.021 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of υ Ophiuchi (upsilon Ophiuchi) star

DSS2 image of υ Ophiuchi. The red arrow shows the motion of υ Ophiuchi during the next 10000 years (-14.50 arcmin in Right Ascension and 3.50 arcmin in declination);

Distance of υ Ophiuchi from the Sun and relative movement

υ Ophiuchi is distant 122.23 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 31 kilometers per second.

Distance (parsec) 37.50 pc

Distance (light year) 122.23 ly

Heliocentric radial velocity -31 km/s

Proper Motion RA -0.087 arcsec/year

Proper Motion Dec 0.021 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of υ Ophiuchi

υ Ophiuchi belongs to spectral class A3

Absolute magnitude 1.76

Spectral Type A3

Color Index (B-V) 0.17

Temperature of υ Ophiuchi 8403K

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

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

υ Ophiuchi star system properties

υ Ophiuchi is a visual double star which can be observed with the help of large telescopes. The table below shows key information about the υ Ophiuchi double sysyem:

Main star magnitude 4.63

Secondary star magnitude 7.83

Magnitude difference 3.2

Separation 1.1 arcsec

Alternative designations of υ Ophiuchi

Bayer designation υ Ophiuchi
(upsilon Ophiuchi)

Flamsteed designation 3 Ophiuchi

Henry Draper Catalogue HD148367

SAO Catalogue SAO141187

Hipparcos Catalogue HIP80628

Durchmusterung Catalogue BD-08 4243

FK5 Catalogue 3299

General Catalogue of Variable Stars 7738

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Other stars in Ophiuchus