Orange subgiant · Cepheus
η Cephei
Also known as: η Cep, HIP 102422
mag 3.447 light-years
About
η Cephei is an orange subgiant of magnitude 3.4 in Cepheus, about 47 light-years away.
How to find it
- η Cephei is in the constellation Cepheus.
- Best evenings: around mid-September it is highest at about 9 pm (10 pm in summer time); a month earlier, two hours later.
- Where on Earth: it is seen well, at least 10° up, from north of 18° S.
When it rises and sets tonight, how high it climbs and how much the Moon gets in the way are worked out in your browser for your place.
What you will see
- EyesVisible from the suburbs on a clear night, but lost in bright city skies.
- Binoculars (10×50)A sharp point; binoculars bring out its colour and the fainter stars around it.
- Telescope (6–8 inch)Still a point of light at any magnification — stars are too far away to show a disc. Low in the sky, bright stars twinkle and flash colours.
Stars look the same in any instrument: brighter and sharper, but never bigger.
Facts
| Designation | η Cephei (η Cep) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 102422 |
| Type | Orange subgiant |
| Spectral type | K0IV |
| Colour | Pale orangeB−V colour index 0.91 |
| Magnitude | 3.4The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 47 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1979. |
| Proper motion | 0.82″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Cepheus |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 20h 45m 17.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | +61° 50′ 20″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →