Oph. Cebalrai is a bright, fairly distant star located in the constellation Oph. It’s a member of the Oph constellation, known for its prominent star cluster. The star’s magnitude is relatively low, designated as 2.442, making it visible to relatively na

Cebalrais’s distinctive appearance, within the context of its immediate surroundings, has sparked intriguing imaginory associations for millennia. From a physical perspective, it presents itself as a regular, single-star system. Its primary significance rests on its position in the night sky; it shines as a relatively small and dependable star to observers. Because of its relative distance, it presents a solid target for long-term charting and observation.

Historically, individuals have sought out Cebalrai's apparent position as a symbolic anchor for specific intentions or observations, often linked to celestial geography, and as a point of reference within a larger understanding of the cosmos. While not fundamentally unusual, the prominence of this particular star allows some individuals to attribute depth and significance to its observation.

How to see it

Cebalrai has a visual magnitude of about 2.44: under a reasonably dark sky it is typically reachable with the unaided eye.

Sky position

Equatorial coordinates for Cebalrai: right ascension 17h 43m 28s, declination +4° 34′ 5″ (J2000), on the celestial sphere.

Catalog context

Cebalrai. It appears in classical and modern catalogs as Bayer/Flamsteed designation 60Bet Oph, HIP 86742, HD 161096, Gaia DR3 4473334474604992384.

Catalog identifiers

Gaia

Gaia DR3 4473334474604992384

HIP

86742

HD

161096

gaia_dr3

4473334474604992384

Bayer / Flamsteed

60Bet Oph

Observed properties

Visual magnitude

2.44