Star profile

Pi Ceti

Hot blue star

3D likeness based on its real data · class B · ~15,000 K

What is Pi Ceti

Pi Ceti is a blue B-type star in the head of Cetus, the sea monster Perseus confronted to save Andromeda. At 393 light-years, its surface boils at temperatures far higher than the Sun's and pours much of its light into the invisible ultraviolet. Beneath the winter sky, its discreet yet piercing glow peers out from the mythological folds of the celestial whale.

Where it is and when to see it

Pi 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 25° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 35° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 70° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 76° N.

It ranks no. 11 in brightness among the 111 stars of Cetus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Diphda, the brightest: it lies about 29° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 390 years ago.

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A public signature from a real person. The chosen name is a symbolic denomination within Stelvia, with no official standing or IAU recognition: the sky is not for sale and belongs to no one.

Astronomical data for Pi Ceti

Constellation: Cetus
Apparent magnitude: 4.24
Distance: 393.0 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 41.031° · Dec -13.859°
Catalogue: HIP 12770 · HD 17081

A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.

Other stars in Cetus

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

See all 111 stars in Cetus