Star profile

8 Cancri

3D likeness based on its real data · class A · ~8,500 K

What is 8 Cancri

8 Cancri rests within the modest figure of the Crab, a zodiacal constellation poor in bright stars yet famous for hosting the Beehive Cluster. This white A-class star lies about two hundred and fifteen light-years away and emits a clean, faintly bluish light typical of suns younger and hotter than our own. Its quiet brightness places it on the edge of what the unaided eye can catch.

Where it is and when to see it

8 Cancri lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is January, when it culminates around midnight.

From London it culminates about 52° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 62° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 43° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 77° S.

It ranks no. 9 in brightness among the 49 stars of Cancer in our catalogue. To find it, start from Tarf, the brightest: it lies about 5° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 210 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 8 Cancri

Constellation: Cancer
Apparent magnitude: 5.14
Distance: 214.6 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 121.269° · Dec 13.118°
Catalogue: HIP 39567 · HD 66664

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

Other stars in Cancer

Cancer has 49 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 49 stars in Cancer