Star profile

48 Ceti

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

What is 48 Ceti

48 Ceti is a white A-type star in Cetus, about 233 light-years away from Earth. Its light comes from a very hot photosphere where hydrogen absorbs in wide, sharp lines —the kind that, together with thousands of sister A-type stars, became a spectroscopic reference standard from the late nineteenth century onward. It shines without fanfare over the celestial sea-monster of northern autumn skies.

Where it is and when to see it

48 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 17° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 28° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 78° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 68° N.

It ranks no. 32 in brightness among the 111 stars of Cetus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Diphda, the brightest: it lies about 11° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 230 years ago.

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Astronomical data for 48 Ceti

Constellation: Cetus
Apparent magnitude: 5.11
Distance: 232.8 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 22.401° · Dec -21.629°
Catalogue: HIP 6960 · HD 9132

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Other stars in Cetus

Cetus has 111 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 111 stars in Cetus