Kappa Andromedae resides in the constellation Andromeda, a constellation taking a prominent position high in the sky on late autumn nights. Due to its bright visual magnitude of 4.1, Kappa Andromedae is viewable with the naked eye, even from suburban locations.
The primary appears as a single bright point of white light with a tinge of blue. A very dim secondary star shines at a magnitude of 11.3 and lies 47 arcseconds away. These two are only a visual double and not an actual binary with the two stars revolving around each other.
The Exoplanet: Kappa Andromedae b
What makes Kappa Andromedae particularly interesting is its companion, Kappa Andromedae b, a gas giant exoplanet! Discovered in 2012, this companion has a mass estimated to be about 13 times that of Jupiter. Our backyard scopes cannot see this object, but the good news is that the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii has directly imaged it for us to see. So, as you peer at Kappa Andromedae and its piercing light, you are also looking at an exoplanet nearby in the black sky.
My Observations
| Date | November 17, 2023 |
| Time | 7:45 p.m. |
| Location | Seattle, WA |
| Magnification | 169x |
| Scope | Meade 8″ SCT |
| Eyepiece | 12mm |
| Seeing | Above Average |
| Transparency | Above Average |
November 17, 2023, Seattle, WA: This is my first evening observation. It’s a chilly night with temperatures hovering around 39 degrees F, but the sky is clear and transparent without haze. The bright primary star (Kap And) illuminates the eyepiece, putting off a white light with perhaps a tinge of blue. In my field of view, numerous stars are apparent, making it somewhat difficult to tell which one is the secondary star at 11 magnitude. However, there is one very dim star in the field around 47 arcseconds away, so I believe this is the secondary. It’s difficult for me to tell what exactly is considered the companion, as there are 3-4 dim stars in the vicinity
I gaze away from the eyepiece and scan the dark sky. It’s then that I think about the Artemis 1 mission. NASA’s Orion capsule is out there in space on its way to the Moon right now. If only my scope could focus in and see the ship on its journey.
Key Stats
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Best Viewing | Autumn / Winter |
| Visual Magnitude | +4.1 | +11.3 |
| Distance from Earth | 168 ly |
| Separation | 47″ |
| Position Angle | 202° |
| Milky Way Location | Orion Spur |
| My Viewing Grade | C |
| Designations | Kap And, SAO 53264, HJ 1898, HIP 116805, HR 8976, HD 222439, 19 Andromedae, k And |
Sources and Notes
Banner adapted from an illustration created by Pablo Budassi. The illustration is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Full details here.
Sketch by Wayne McGraw
The Garden Astronomer 