Nunki: how to find it and when to see it
Nunki ranks 51st of the 74 bright stars on our list, at magnitude 2.05, in the constellation Sagittarius.
You can see it from anywhere south of 64° N, and it's highest in the evening sky in August.
Nunki at a glance
- Constellation
- Sagittarius
- Magnitude
- 2.05
- Rank on our list
- 51 of 74
- Hemisphere
- Southern
- Right ascension
- 18 h 55 min
- Declination
- 26.3° south
- Visible from
- south of 64° N
- Never sets
- south of 64° S
- Best evening
- 20 August
- Same constellation
- Kaus Australis
Where Nunki is in the sky
Nunki sits 26.3° 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 18 h 55 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 Nunki
From the northern hemisphere
From 40° N, the latitude of New York, Madrid and Beijing, Nunki rises in the south-east, climbs to 24° above the horizon in the south and sets in the south-west.
It's in the evening sky from July to September, and it's highest in the evening around 20 August, in summer.
From the southern hemisphere
From 34° S, the latitude of Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires, Nunki rises in the south-east, climbs to 82° above the horizon in the north and sets in the south-west.
It's in the evening sky from May to November, and it's highest in the evening around 20 August, in winter.
How high Nunki climbs from each latitude
The evening is about 9 pm local time, or 10 pm in summer 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 | Rises and sets | 4° in the south | None |
| 50° N | Rises and sets | 14° in the south | Aug to Sept |
| 40° N | Rises and sets | 24° in the south | Jul to Sept |
| 30° N | Rises and sets | 34° in the south | Jul to Oct |
| 20° N | Rises and sets | 44° in the south | Jun to Oct |
| Equator | Rises and sets | 64° in the south | Jun to Oct |
| 20° S | Rises and sets | 84° in the south | Jun to Nov |
| 34° S | Rises and sets | 82° in the north | May to Nov |
| 45° S | Rises and sets | 71° in the north | May 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 Nunki was above the horizon that night, it's on your map, and we print it on museum-grade paper.
Questions about Nunki
Nunki is in Sagittarius. It sits 26.3° south of the celestial equator, at a right ascension of 18 h 55 min.
Nunki is highest in the evening sky around 20 August. That's summer in the northern hemisphere and winter in the southern hemisphere.
Yes, from anywhere south of 64° N. From 40° N, it climbs to 24° above the horizon in the south.
Nunki has a magnitude of 2.05, which ranks it 51st of the 74 bright stars on our list. Sirius looks about 25 times brighter.