Star profile
Phi 3 Ceti
What is Phi 3 Ceti
Phi-3 Ceti glows with an orange light in the Whale, that long amphibious figure winding beneath Pisces and Aries. It is a K-type giant some 551 light-years away, already in an advanced stage of life: its core hydrogen is exhausted, and its cool atmosphere radiates the quiet copper tone typical of aging stars. The light reaching us tonight set out toward the end of the fifteenth century, in the years when the first European caravels were crossing an Atlantic still lacking accurate charts.
Where it is and when to see it
Phi 3 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 October, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it culminates about 27° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 38° 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. 42 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 550 years ago.
It opens in your browser. Free, no account, nothing to install.
Leave your signature on Phi 3 Ceti
Your name and a message go up on the map for everyone to read. Signing is free.
Without a lock, someone else can replace your signature. How the lock works
We'll ask for an email to confirm it's you, no password.
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 Phi 3 Ceti
- Constellation
- Cetus
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.35
- Distance
- 551.0 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 14.006° · Dec -11.267°
- Catalogue
- HIP 4371 · HD 5437
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Cetus
Cetus has 111 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- DiphdaBeta Ceti2.04
- MenkarAlpha Ceti2.54
- Eta Ceti3.46
- HIP 117385.27
- 69 Ceti5.29
- HIP 9835.29
- 75 Ceti5.36
- HIP 82305.37