Star profile
HIP 1728
Variable starWhat is HIP 1728
A vast red M-type giant glows within the figure of Cetus, the celestial whale, breathing in slow pulsations of light. Far cooler than the Sun yet hundreds of times its size, its glow began this voyage almost nine centuries ago, when Gothic cathedrals were rising across Europe and astronomy still travelled in Arabic manuscripts. Across 882 light-years its red breathing arrives tonight, a slow heartbeat older than most stones standing in any city of the world.
Where it is and when to see it
HIP 1728 lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is September, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it culminates about 18° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 29° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 76° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 70° N.
It ranks no. 66 in brightness among the 111 stars of Cetus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Diphda, the brightest: it lies about 6° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 880 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 HIP 1728
- Constellation
- Cetus
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.61
- Distance
- 881.6 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 5.443° · Dec -20.058°
- Catalogue
- HIP 1728 · HD 1760
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.
- DiphdaBeta Ceti2.04
- MenkarAlpha Ceti2.54
- Eta Ceti3.46
- HIP 38495.59
- HIP 107235.60
- HYG 1181645.60
- HIP 96225.61
- 93 Ceti5.62