Star profile

Eta Cancri

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

What is Eta Cancri

Eta Cancri is an orange giant 298 light-years away, inside the Crab — that modest zodiacal constellation barely visible to the naked eye, yet home to the Beehive open cluster, M44, one of the oldest known. Its golden tone contrasts with the diffuse glow of the nearby cluster, offering a visual pairing of opposite natures: a serene old age beside a young swarm.

Where it is and when to see it

Eta 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 59° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 70° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 36° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 70° S.

It ranks no. 17 in brightness among the 49 stars of Cancer in our catalogue. To find it, start from Tarf, the brightest: it lies about 12° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 300 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 Eta Cancri

Constellation: Cancer
Apparent magnitude: 5.33
Distance: 298.4 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 128.177° · Dec 20.441°
Catalogue: HIP 41909 · HD 72292

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