- Stars with a name
- Cebalrai
Cebalrai
β Ophiuchi
Cebalrai is an orange giant, in the constellation Ophiuchus. The light you see from it tonight left it around 1944.
Where to find it
From mid-northern latitudes, such as New York, Rome or Tokyo, it is best seen in the evening sky in June, July, August, and September.
Visible to the naked eye away from the brightest lights. Apparent magnitude 2.76.
What it’s like
It gives off 43 times as much light as the Sun.
Its surface is at about 4,400 degrees.
It is 81.9 light years away: 774 trillion kilometres.
It is the star of people born around 1944: the light that left it then is reaching Earth now.