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Hierarchy of orbits </div>
Upsilon Ophiuchi is a quadruple star system in the equatorial constellation of Ophiuchus. It has a white hue and is faintly visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of 4.62. The distance to this system is approximately 130 light years based on parallax. It is drifting closer with a radial velocity of âÂÂ30.6 km/s.
The variable radial velocity of the brighter component was first observed by H. A. Abt in 1961. It is a double-lined spectroscopic binary system with an orbital period of 27.2 days and an eccentricity of 0.74. They have a combined magnitude of 4.71. Both components are similar stars with a combined stellar classification of kA2hA5VmA5, and one or both are Am stars. The fainter component has an 82.8 year orbit with the brighter pair at an eccentricity of 0.45, and is itself binary, making the system a quadruple. The system is a source for X-ray emission.
This system forms part of the Upsilon Ophiuchi cluster, a small group of six stars which share similar kinematics and are spread over about eight degrees. The two brightest stars, apart from Upsilon Ophiuchi itself, are sometimes listed as components B and C: B is HD 148300, and C is HD 144660. Both are 9th-magnitude K-class dwarfs.