Star profile

Nu Cancri

3D likeness based on its real data · class A · ~8,500 K

What is Nu Cancri

Nu Cancri glides with a clean white light along the carapace of the Crab, 392 light-years away, not far from the famous Beehive cluster. It is an A-type star — young, hot and quick-spinning — one of those discreet jewels that outline the flanks of a faint constellation. Cancer has historically been the zodiacal gate of the northern summer; on its barely drawn body, Nu has held its place unchanged since before Hipparchus assembled the first systematic catalogues in the second century before Christ.

Where it is and when to see it

Nu 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 63° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 74° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 32° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 66° S.

It ranks no. 23 in brightness among the 49 stars of Cancer in our catalogue. To find it, start from Tarf, the brightest: it lies about 19° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 390 years ago.

Find it on the sky map

It opens in your browser. Free, no account, nothing to install.

Leave your signature on Nu Cancri

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.

Write my signature

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 Nu Cancri

Constellation: Cancer
Apparent magnitude: 5.45
Distance: 392.5 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 135.684° · Dec 24.453°
Catalogue: HIP 44405 · HD 77350

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