Star profile

Phi 1 Ceti

3D likeness based on its real data · class K · ~4,200 K

What is Phi 1 Ceti

Phi-1 Ceti is an orange giant some 234 light-years away, on the whale's flank. Its light, cold by stellar standards though warm to the eye, runs across a vast and dim constellation where notable figures can be counted on one hand. There, amid relative voids, its muted glow works as a silent marker of the monster's outline.

Where it is and when to see it

Phi 1 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 September, when it culminates around midnight.

From London it culminates about 28° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 39° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 67° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 79° N.

It ranks no. 20 in brightness among the 111 stars of Cetus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Diphda, the brightest: it lies about 7° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 230 years ago.

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Astronomical data for Phi 1 Ceti

Constellation: Cetus
Apparent magnitude: 4.77
Distance: 233.7 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 11.048° · Dec -10.610°
Catalogue: HIP 3455 · HD 4188

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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