Sargas: how to find it and when to see it
Sargas ranks 38th of the 74 bright stars on our list, at magnitude 1.86, in the constellation Scorpius.
You can see it from anywhere south of 47° N, and it's highest in the evening sky in July.
Sargas at a glance
- Constellation
- Scorpius
- Magnitude
- 1.86
- Rank on our list
- 38 of 74
- Hemisphere
- Southern
- Right ascension
- 17 h 37 min
- Declination
- 43.0° south
- Visible from
- south of 47° N
- Never sets
- south of 47° S
- Best evening
- July 31
Where Sargas is in the sky
Sargas sits 43.0° south of the celestial equator, the line in the sky directly above Earth's equator, so it's in the southern half of the sky. Its right ascension is 17 h 37 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 Sargas
From the northern hemisphere
From 40° N, the latitude of New York, Madrid and Beijing, Sargas rises in the southeast, climbs to 7° above the horizon in the south and sets in the southwest.
It never climbs more than 7° above the horizon, so you need a clear, low view to the south to spot it.
From the southern hemisphere
From 34° S, the latitude of Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires, Sargas rises in the southeast, climbs to 81° above the horizon in the south and sets in the southwest.
It's in the evening sky from April to November, and it's highest in the evening around July 31, in winter.
How high Sargas 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 rises | Below the horizon | None |
| 50° N | Never rises | Below the horizon | None |
| 40° N | Rises and sets | 7° in the south | None |
| 30° N | Rises and sets | 17° in the south | Jul to Aug |
| 20° N | Rises and sets | 27° in the south | Jun to Sep |
| Equator | Rises and sets | 47° in the south | May to Oct |
| 20° S | Rises and sets | 67° in the south | May to Oct |
| 34° S | Rises and sets | 81° in the south | Apr to Nov |
| 45° S | Rises and sets | 88° in the north | Apr to Nov |
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 Sargas was above the horizon that night, it's on your map, and we print it on museum-grade paper.
Questions about Sargas
Sargas is in Scorpius. It sits 43.0° south of the celestial equator, at a right ascension of 17 h 37 min.
Sargas is highest in the evening sky around July 31. That's summer in the northern hemisphere and winter in the southern hemisphere.
Yes, from anywhere south of 47° N. From 40° N, it climbs to 7° above the horizon in the south.
Sargas has a magnitude of 1.86, which ranks it 38th of the 74 bright stars on our list. Sirius looks about 21 times brighter.