Star profile

Rho Ceti

3D likeness based on its real data · class A · ~8,500 K

What is Rho Ceti

Rho Ceti shines white at 456 light-years, set inside the huge outline of the great sea monster that the hero Perseus once faced down to rescue Andromeda. It is an A-type star, cosmically young, with the hot atmosphere that defines that band of the spectral catalogue. The Whale keeps this silent star on her flank, its clean light withstanding the passage of time without hurry.

Where it is and when to see it

Rho Ceti lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is October, when it culminates around midnight.

From London it culminates about 26° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 37° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 68° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 78° N.

It ranks no. 25 in brightness among the 111 stars of Cetus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Diphda, the brightest: it lies about 25° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 460 years ago.

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Astronomical data for Rho Ceti

Constellation: Cetus
Apparent magnitude: 4.88
Distance: 456.2 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 36.488° · Dec -12.290°
Catalogue: HIP 11345 · HD 15130

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Other stars in Cetus

Cetus has 111 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 111 stars in Cetus