Star profile
15 Cancri
Variable starWhat is 15 Cancri
15 Cancri is a blue variable star, a rarity in the modest zodiacal constellation of the Crab, famed for hosting the open cluster of the Beehive. Its B classification places it among the hottest stars catalogued for the unaided eye, and the slow oscillation of its brightness adds a subtle pulse to the sky. Its light crosses nearly six hundred and eighty-four years before reaching us.
Where it is and when to see it
15 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 68° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 79° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 26° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 60° S.
It ranks no. 27 in brightness among the 49 stars of Cancer in our catalogue. To find it, start from Tarf, the brightest: it lies about 20° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 680 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 15 Cancri
- Constellation
- Cancer
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.62
- Distance
- 683.9 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 123.287° · Dec 29.657°
- Catalogue
- HIP 40240 · HD 68351
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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
- 27 Cancri5.56
- Phi 1 Cancri5.58
- 3 Cancri5.60
- 45 Cancri5.62
- 49 Cancri5.63