Sky of Your Day
  1. Stars with a name
  2. Nekkar

Nekkar

β Boötis

Nekkar is a yellow giant like the Sun, in the constellation Boötes. The light you see from it tonight left it around 1801.

Where to find it

From mid-northern latitudes, such as New York, Rome or Tokyo, it is best seen in the evening sky in March, April, May, June, July, and August.

Visible to the naked eye away from the brightest lights. Apparent magnitude 3.49.

What it’s like

It gives off 167 times as much light as the Sun.

Its surface is at about 4,900 degrees.

It is 225.3 light years away: 2131 trillion kilometres.

Other named stars in Boötes