Star profile
14 Ceti
What is 14 Ceti
14 Ceti carries a singular distinction: it is the only known star between classes F0 and F7 with a magnetic field detected through the Zeeman effect, measured in 2009 at roughly -30 G. Evolutionary models suggest it is most likely the descendant of a cool Ap star, now entering the «Hertzsprung gap» —the region where a star has burned its core hydrogen but has not yet ignited shell fusion. It lies about 178 light-years away, within the silhouette of Cetus the Whale.
Where it is and when to see it
14 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 38° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 49° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 57° above the horizon.
It sits almost on the celestial equator, so it can be seen from nearly the whole planet.
It ranks no. 103 in brightness among the 111 stars of Cetus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Diphda, the brightest: it lies about 18° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 180 years ago.
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Astronomical data for 14 Ceti
- Constellation
- Cetus
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.94
- Distance
- 177.8 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 8.887° · Dec -0.506°
- Catalogue
- HIP 2787 · HD 3229
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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
- 34 Ceti5.93
- HIP 6365.93
- 63 Ceti5.94
- 61 Ceti5.96
- HIP 136795.97