Star profile

60 Cancri

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

What is 60 Cancri

60 Cancri is an orange K-type star about 696 light-years away in the Crab, a zodiac constellation so faint its stars are more easily found by the presence of the Beehive cluster. Its cool tone and remoteness make it a quiet pinpoint, near the threshold of unaided sight. The light arriving now left the star while Dante was finishing the Divine Comedy.

Where it is and when to see it

60 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 February, when it culminates around midnight.

From London it culminates about 50° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 61° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 44° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 78° S.

It ranks no. 21 in brightness among the 49 stars of Cancer in our catalogue. To find it, start from Tarf, the brightest: it lies about 10° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 700 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 60 Cancri

Constellation: Cancer
Apparent magnitude: 5.44
Distance: 695.5 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 133.981° · Dec 11.626°
Catalogue: HIP 43851 · HD 76351

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