Alpha Ophiuchi
 Location of α Ophiuchi (circled) |
|
| Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 |
|
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ophiuchus |
| Right ascension | 17h 34m 56.06945s |
| Declination | +12° 33′ 36.1346″ |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 2.07 |
| Characteristics | |
| Spectral type | A5 III / K5–7 V |
| U−B color index | +0.10 |
| B−V color index | +0.15 |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | +12.6 km/s |
| Proper motion (μ) |
RA: 108.07 mas/yr Dec.: -221.57 mas/yr |
| Parallax (π) | 67.13 ± 1.06mas |
| Distance | 48.6 ± 0.8 ly (14.9 ± 0.2 pc) |
| Absolute magnitude (MV) | +1.248 |
| Orbit | |
| Period (P) | 3148.4 days |
| Semi-major axis (a) |
427+20 −13 mas |
| Eccentricity (e) | 0.92±0.03 |
| Inclination (i) |
125+6 −9° |
| Longitude of the node (Ω) | 232±9° |
| Periastron epoch (T) | 2452888±53 JD |
|
Argument of periastron (ω) (secondary) |
162±14° |
| Details | |
| α Oph A | |
| Mass |
2.40+0.23 −0.37 M☉ |
| Radius | 2.6 R☉ |
| Luminosity | 25.1–25.6 L☉ |
| Surface gravity (log g) | 3.91 cgs |
| Temperature | 7880–8050 K |
| Rotational velocity (v sin i) | 240 km/s |
| Age | 0.77±0.03 Gyr |
| α Oph B | |
| Mass |
0.85+0.06 −0.04 M☉ |
| Other designations | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
Alpha Ophiuchi (α Ophiuchi, abbreviated Alpha Oph, α Oph), also named Rasalhague, is a binary star and the brightest star in the constellation of Ophiuchus.
α Ophiuchi (Latinised to Alpha Ophiuchi) is the star's Bayer designation.
It bore the traditional name Ras Alhague, often condensed to Rasalhague. The name is from the Arabic رأس الحواء (raʾis al-ḥawwāʾ), meaning "the Head of the Serpent collector". In 2016, the International Astronomical Union organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) to catalog and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN's first bulletin of July 2016 included a table of the first two batches of names approved by the WGSN; which included Rasalhague for this star.
The Chinese name 候 (Mandarin: Hòu) meaning 'Astrologer', because this star is marking itself and stand alone in the 'Astrologer' asterism, Heavenly Market enclosure (see : Chinese constellation). 候 (Hòu) westernized into How in R.H. Allen's work, meaning "the Duke".
Alpha Ophiuchi is a binary star system with an orbital period of about 8.62 years. The orbital parameters were only poorly known until 2011 when observations using adaptive optics produced a better orbital fit, allowing the individual masses of the two components to be determined. The primary component, Alpha Ophiuchi A, has a mass of about 2.4 times the mass of the Sun, while the secondary, Alpha Ophiuchi B, has 0.85 solar masses. Estimates of the mass of the primary by other means range from a low of 1.92 to 2.10 solar masses, up to 2.84 or even 4.8 solar masses. The mass of the secondary suggests that it has a stellar classification in the range K5V to K7V, which indicates it is a main sequence star that is still generating energy by the thermonuclear fusion of hydrogen at its core. The pair reached periastron passage, or closest approach, around April 19, 2012, when they had an angular separation of 50 milliarcseconds.
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