Cetus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Constellation | |
 List of stars in Cetus |
|
| Abbreviation | Cet |
|---|---|
| Genitive | Ceti |
| Pronunciation | /ˈsiːtəs/, genitive /ˈsiːtaɪ/ |
| Symbolism | the Whale or Sea Monster |
| Right ascension | 1.42 |
| Declination | −11.35 |
| Area | 1231 sq. deg. (4th) |
| Main stars | 15 |
| Bayer/Flamsteed stars |
88 |
| Stars with known planets |
9 |
| Bright stars | 3 |
| Nearby stars | 5 |
| Brightest star | β Cet (Deneb Kaitos)† (2.04m) |
| Nearest star | Luyten 726-8 (8.73 ly) |
| Messier objects | 1 |
| Meteor showers | October Cetids Eta Cetids Omicron Cetids |
| Bordering constellations |
Aries Pisces Aquarius Sculptor Fornax Eridanus Taurus |
| Visible at latitudes between +70° and −90°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of November. Note: †Mira (ο Cet) is magnitude 2.0 at its brightest. |
|
Cetus is a constellation in the northern sky. Its name refers to Cetus, a sea monster in Greek mythology, although it is often called 'the whale' today. Cetus is located in the region of the sky known as the Water, along with other watery constellations such as Aquarius, Pisces, and Eridanus.
Contents |
[edit] Notable features
[edit] Ecliptic
Although Cetus is not considered part of the zodiac, the ecliptic passes close to its constellation boundary, and thus the planets may be seen in Cetus for brief periods of time. This is even more true of asteroids, since their orbits usually have a greater inclination to the ecliptic than planets; for example, the asteroid 4 Vesta was discovered in this constellation in 1807.
[edit] Stars
This constellation's most notable star is Mira (or ό Ceti), the first variable star to be discovered. Over a period of 331.65 days it can reach a maximum magnitude as high as 2.0m, one of the brightest in the sky and easily visible to the unaided eye, then drop to 10.1m and back again. Its discovery in 1596 by David Fabricius further dented the supposed unchangeability of the heavens and lent support to the Copernican revolution.
Other stars in the constellation include α Ceti (Menkar); β Ceti (Deneb Kaitos), brightest in the constellation; and τ Ceti, the 17th closest star to Earth.
[edit] Deep sky objects
Cetus lies far from the galactic plane, so many distant galaxies are visible, unobscured by dust from the Milky Way. Of these, the brightest is Messier 77 (NGC 1068), a 9th magnitude spiral galaxy near δ Ceti.
[edit] References
- Ian Ridpath and Wil Tirion (2007). Stars and Planets Guide, Collins, London. ISBN 978-0007251209. Princeton University Press, Princeton. ISBN 978-0691135564.
[edit] External links
 |
Look up cetus in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cetus |
|
|||||
