We use cookies to deliver essential features and to measure their performance. By using this site you accept our Privacy Policies.
A Complete Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
Donate now and help us to keep this site free and ad-free!
public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 7:54  
clear_day Transit: 11:51  
SunsetSet: 15:49 south
sleep NighttimeWhat's Visible Now?
All Constellations » Cetus » 

20 Ceti

Altitude: -34.1°   Azimuth: 324.2°   Direction: North-West

20 Ceti is a hypergiant star in the constellation of Cetus.

20 Ceti visual magnitude is 4.77. Because of its moderate brightness, 20 Ceti should be easily visible from locations with dark skyes, while it can be barely visible, or not visible at all, from skyes affected by light pollution.

The table below summarizes the key facts about 20 Ceti:

4.77
Hypergiant

20 Ceti is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: -34.1°
Azimuth: 324.2°
Direction: North-West

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of 20 Ceti

20 Ceti is situated close to the celestial equator, as such, it is at least partly visible from both hemispheres in certain times of the year. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of 20 Ceti are provided in the following table:

00h 53m 00s
-01° 08’ 39”
123.83°
-64.01°
Cetus

The simplified sky map below shows the position of 20 Ceti in the sky:

Finder chart 20 Ceti star
Simplified finder chart for 20 Ceti.

Visibility of 20 Ceti from your location

Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London

Today's 20 Ceti rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 91.1°
Max altitude: 37.4°
Azimuth: 268.9°

Digitized Sky Survey image of 20 Ceti

The image below is a photograph of 20 Ceti from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2 - see the credits section) taken in the red channel. The area of sky represented in the image is 0.5x0.5 degrees (30x30 arcmins). The proper motion of 20 Ceti is 0.008 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.017 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of 20 Ceti star
DSS2 image of 20 Ceti. The red arrow shows the motion of 20 Ceti during the next 10000 years (1.33 arcmin in Right Ascension and -2.83 arcmin in declination);

Distance of 20 Ceti from the Sun and relative movement

20 Ceti is distant 519.11 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 16 kilometers per second.

159.24 pc
519.11 ly
16 km/s
0.008 arcsec/year
-0.017 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of 20 Ceti

20 Ceti belongs to spectral class M0 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a hypergiant star.

-1.24
M0III
3691K

The red dot in the diagram below shows where 20 Ceti is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.

HR Diagram
H-R diagram showing the position of 20 Ceti. Attribution: Richard Powell / CC BY-SA

Alternative designations of 20 Ceti

SAO129009
SAO129009