Yellow-white subgiant · Cepheus
ε Cephei
Also known as: ε Cep, HIP 109857
mag 4.285 light-years
About
ε Cephei is a yellow-white subgiant of magnitude 4.2 in Cepheus, about 85 light-years away.
How to find it
- ε Cephei is in the constellation Cepheus.
- Best evenings: around early October 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 23° 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 | ε Cephei (ε Cep) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 109857 |
| Type | Yellow-white subgiant |
| Spectral type | F0IV |
| Colour | Yellowish whiteB−V colour index 0.28 |
| Magnitude | 4.2The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 85 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1941. |
| Proper motion | 0.48″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Cepheus |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 22h 15m 02.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +57° 02′ 37″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →