Orange giant · Cetus
η Ceti
Also known as: η Cet, HIP 5364
mag 3.5120 light-years
About
η Ceti is an orange giant of magnitude 3.5 in Cetus, about 120 light-years away.
How to find it
- η Ceti is in the constellation Cetus.
- Best evenings: around late November 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 south of 70° N.
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 Ceti (η Cet) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 5364 |
| Type | Orange giant |
| Spectral type | K2III |
| Colour | Pale orangeB−V colour index 1.16 |
| Magnitude | 3.5The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 120 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1900. |
| Proper motion | 0.26″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 01h 08m 35.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −10° 10′ 56″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →