Star profile
39 Ceti
Variable starWhat is 39 Ceti
39 Ceti lives 263 light-years away, along the back of Cetus, the cosmic Whale that swims through the autumn sky. It is a yellow G-type star, giant and variable, its light rippling gently —a swollen, far brighter version of what our own Sun will become when its hydrogen runs out and the outer layers expand. A silent glimpse of the future that awaits stars like ours.
Where it is and when to see it
39 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 36° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 47° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 59° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 87° N.
It ranks no. 47 in brightness among the 111 stars of Cetus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Diphda, the brightest: it lies about 17° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 260 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 39 Ceti
- Constellation
- Cetus
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.42
- Distance
- 262.9 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 19.151° · Dec -2.500°
- Catalogue
- HIP 5951 · HD 7672
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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
- 25 Ceti5.40
- 50 Ceti5.41
- 70 Ceti5.42
- 60 Ceti5.42
- HIP 110295.43