Star profile
Mu 1 Cancri
Variable starWhat is Mu 1 Cancri
Mu-1 Cancri is a variable red giant at 745 light-years, anchored in the modest zodiacal constellation of the Crab. Its coppery brightness and slow undulations are the unmistakable signature of an aged star, its vast atmosphere breathing across timescales of months and years. The light arriving in our skies tonight first set out when Marco Polo was still travelling the long caravan routes of Asia.
Where it is and when to see it
Mu 1 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 61° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 72° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 33° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 67° S.
It ranks no. 46 in brightness among the 49 stars of Cancer in our catalogue. To find it, start from Tarf, the brightest: it lies about 14° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 740 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Mu 1 Cancri
- Constellation
- Cancer
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.96
- Distance
- 744.7 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 121.577° · Dec 22.635°
- Catalogue
- HIP 39659 · HD 66875
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.
- TarfBeta Cancri3.53
- Asellus AustralisDelta Cancri3.94
- Iota Cancri4.03
- 20 Cancri5.94
- 29 Cancri5.94
- 75 Cancri5.95
- HIP 423655.96
- CopernicusRho 1 Cancri5.96