Yellow main-sequence star · Cetus
τ Ceti
Also known as: τ Cet, HIP 8102
mag 3.512 light-years
About
τ Ceti is a yellow main-sequence star of magnitude 3.5 in Cetus, about 12 light-years away.
How to find it
- τ Ceti is in the constellation Cetus.
- Best evenings: around early December 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 64° 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 | τ Ceti (τ Cet) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 8102 |
| Type | Yellow main-sequence star |
| Spectral type | G8V |
| Colour | YellowB−V colour index 0.73 |
| Magnitude | 3.5The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 12 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 2014. |
| Proper motion | 1.92″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 01h 44m 04.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | −15° 56′ 15″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →