Kochab: how to find it and when to see it
Kochab ranks 53rd of the 74 bright stars on our list, at magnitude 2.07, in the constellation Ursa Minor.
You can see it from anywhere north of 16° S, and it's highest in the evening sky in June.
Kochab at a glance
- Constellation
- Ursa Minor
- Magnitude
- 2.07
- Rank on our list
- 53 of 74
- Hemisphere
- Northern
- Right ascension
- 14 h 51 min
- Declination
- 74.2° north
- Visible from
- north of 16° S
- Never sets
- north of 16° N
- Best evening
- June 19
- Same constellation
- Polaris
Where Kochab is in the sky
Kochab sits 74.2° north of the celestial equator, the line in the sky directly above Earth's equator, so it's in the northern half of the sky. Its right ascension is 14 h 51 min.
Right ascension works like longitude on the sky. It's counted in hours, and about one hour of it turns past you each hour of the night.
When and where to see Kochab
From the northern hemisphere
From 40° N, the latitude of New York, Madrid and Beijing, Kochab never sets: it circles the pole all night and climbs to 56° above the horizon in the north.
It's in the evening sky all year, and it's highest in the evening around June 19, in summer.
From the southern hemisphere
From 34° S, the latitude of Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires, Kochab never rises above the horizon. You need to be north of 16° S to see it.
How high Kochab climbs from each latitude
The evening is about 9 pm local time, or 10 pm during daylight saving time, and later when the sky is still too bright. A star counts as in the evening sky when it's at least 10° above the horizon.
| Latitude | Visibility | Highest point | Evening sky |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60° N | Never sets | 76° in the north | All year |
| 50° N | Never sets | 66° in the north | All year |
| 40° N | Never sets | 56° in the north | All year |
| 30° N | Never sets | 46° in the north | All year |
| 20° N | Never sets | 36° in the north | Feb to Oct |
| Equator | Rises and sets | 16° in the north | May to Jul |
| 20° S | Never rises | Below the horizon | None |
| 34° S | Never rises | Below the horizon | None |
| 45° S | Never rises | Below the horizon | None |
Keep the sky of a night that matters
Our star maps show the stars above any place, at the minute you choose, with the constellation lines drawn in. If Kochab was above the horizon that night, it's on your map, and we print it on museum-grade paper.
Questions about Kochab
Kochab is in Ursa Minor. It sits 74.2° north of the celestial equator, at a right ascension of 14 h 51 min.
Kochab is highest in the evening sky around June 19. That's summer in the northern hemisphere and winter in the southern hemisphere.
Yes, from anywhere north of 16° S. From 34° S, it never rises, so you need to be farther north.
Kochab has a magnitude of 2.07, which ranks it 53rd of the 74 bright stars on our list. Sirius looks about 25 times brighter.