Star profile
Kappa 1 Ceti
Variable starWhat is Kappa 1 Ceti
Kappa-1 Ceti is one of the most studied solar twins, just 30 light-years away —a G-type star much like our Sun but younger and faster-rotating. Its surface is marked by intense magnetic activity, with spots and flares that have made it a window into the Sun's own past. To look at it is to glimpse how our star shone when life was barely dawning on Earth.
Where it is and when to see it
Kappa 1 Ceti lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is November, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it culminates about 42° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 53° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 53° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 87° S.
It ranks no. 23 in brightness among the 111 stars of Cetus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Diphda, the brightest: it lies about 44° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 30 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Kappa 1 Ceti
- Constellation
- Cetus
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.84
- Distance
- 29.8 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 49.840° · Dec 3.370°
- Catalogue
- HIP 15457 · HD 20630
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Other stars in Cetus
Cetus has 111 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- DiphdaBeta Ceti2.04
- MenkarAlpha Ceti2.54
- Eta Ceti3.46
- Phi 1 Ceti4.77
- 20 Ceti4.78
- Epsilon Ceti4.83
- Nu Ceti4.87
- Rho Ceti4.88