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A Complete Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 7:38  
clear_day Transit: 11:46  
SunsetSet: 15:54 south
sleep NighttimeWhat's Visible Now?
All Constellations » Cetus » 

46 Ceti

Altitude: 13.7°   Azimuth: 136.4°   Direction: South-East

46 Ceti is a giant star in the constellation of Cetus.

46 Ceti visual magnitude is 4.9. Because of its moderate brightness, 46 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 46 Ceti:

4.9
Giant

46 Ceti is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 13.7°
Azimuth: 136.4°
Direction: South-East

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of 46 Ceti

46 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 46 Ceti are provided in the following table:

01h 25m 37s
-14° 35’ 56”
157.07°
-75.16°
Cetus

The simplified sky map below shows the position of 46 Ceti in the sky:

Finder chart 46 Ceti star
Simplified finder chart for 46 Ceti.

Visibility of 46 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 46 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: 104.6°
Max altitude: 23.9°
Azimuth: 255.4°

Digitized Sky Survey image of 46 Ceti

The image below is a photograph of 46 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 46 Ceti is 0.039 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.018 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of 46 Ceti star
DSS2 image of 46 Ceti. The red arrow shows the motion of 46 Ceti during the next 10000 years (6.50 arcmin in Right Ascension and -3.00 arcmin in declination);

Distance of 46 Ceti from the Sun and relative movement

46 Ceti is distant 288.24 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 23 kilometers per second.

88.42 pc
288.24 ly
-23 km/s
0.039 arcsec/year
-0.018 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of 46 Ceti

46 Ceti belongs to spectral class K2 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

0.17
K2III
4251K

The red dot in the diagram below shows where 46 Ceti is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.

HR Diagram
H-R diagram showing the position of 46 Ceti. Attribution: Richard Powell / CC BY-SA

Alternative designations of 46 Ceti

SAO147803
SAO147803