Star profile

56 Ceti

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

What is 56 Ceti

56 Ceti carries its orange light from the body of the sea monster, a cool K-type star about 353 light-years away. It left its surface around 1673, while Cassini was patiently measuring the moons of Saturn. Cetus is a vast constellation, often empty to the naked eye; in that void, this orange giant acts as a small steady ember between two dark waves of the sky.

Where it is and when to see it

56 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 16° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 27° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 79° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 67° N.

It ranks no. 28 in brightness among the 111 stars of Cetus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Diphda, the brightest: it lies about 18° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 350 years ago.

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Astronomical data for 56 Ceti

Constellation: Cetus
Apparent magnitude: 4.92
Distance: 353.0 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 29.167° · Dec -22.527°
Catalogue: HIP 9061 · HD 11930

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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