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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 6:55  
clear_day Transit: 12:49  
SunsetSet: 18:41 south
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All Constellations » Cepheus » 

μ Cephei (mu Cephei)

Altitude: 62.2°   Azimuth: 304.1°   Direction: North-West

μ Cephei is a variable and multiple supergiant star in the constellation of Cepheus.

μ Cephei visual magnitude is 4.08. Because of its moderate brightness, μ Cephei 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 μ Cephei:

4.08
Supergiant

μ Cephei (mu Cephei) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 62.2°
Azimuth: 304.1°
Direction: North-West

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of μ Cephei

μ Cephei is situated north of the celestial equator, as such, it is more easily visible from the northern hemisphere. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of μ Cephei are provided in the following table:

21h 43m 30s
+58° 46’ 48”
100.6°
4.32°
Cepheus

The simplified sky map below shows the position of μ Cephei in the sky:

Finder chart μ Cephei (mu Cephei) star
Simplified finder chart for μ Cephei (mu Cephei).

Visibility of μ Cephei from your location

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

μ Cephei (mu Cephei) is circumpolar and transits at 21:10 UTC (altitude: 82.7°)

Digitized Sky Survey image of μ Cephei

The image below is a photograph of μ Cephei 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 μ Cephei is 0.003 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.003 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 100000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of μ Cephei (mu Cephei) star
DSS2 image of μ Cephei. The red arrow shows the motion of μ Cephei during the next 100000 years (5.00 arcmin in Right Ascension and -5.00 arcmin in declination);

Distance of μ Cephei from the Sun and relative movement

μ Cephei is distant 5,258.06 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 19 kilometers per second.

1,612.90 pc
5,258.06 ly
19 km/s
0.003 arcsec/year
-0.003 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of μ Cephei

μ Cephei belongs to spectral class M2 and has a luminosity class of I corresponding to a supergiant star.

-6.96
M2I
2845K

The red dot in the diagram below shows where μ Cephei is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.

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

μ Cephei star system properties

μ Cephei is a visual double star which can be observed only with the help of very large telescopes. The table below shows key information about the μ Cephei double sysyem:

4.08
12.38
8.3
19.5 arcsec

Alternative designations of μ Cephei

μ Cephei
(mu Cephei)
SAO33693
SAO33693