θ Cephei (theta Cephei)

θ Cephei is a giant star in the constellation of Cepheus.

θ Cephei visual magnitude is 4.22. Because of its moderate brightness, θ 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 θ Cephei:

Color of θ Cephei ⬤

Magnitude of θ Cephei 4.22

Class Giant

VISIBILITY RIGHT NOW θ Cephei (theta Cephei) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. Altitude: 53°.

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of θ Cephei

θ Cephei is situated close to the northern celestial pole and, as such, it is visible for most part of the year from the northern hemisphere. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of θ Cephei are provided in the following table:

Right Ascension J2000 20h 29m 34s

Declination J2000 +62° 59’ 39”

Galactic Longitude 97.76°

Galactic Latitude 13.8°

Constellation Cepheus

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

Finder chart θ Cephei (theta Cephei) star

Simplified finder chart for θ Cephei (theta Cephei).

Visibility of θ Cephei from your location

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

θ Cephei (theta Cephei) is circumpolar and transits at 08:27 UTC (altitude: 78.5°)

Digitized Sky Survey image of θ Cephei

The image below is a photograph of θ 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 θ Cephei is 0.044 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.013 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

DSS2 image of θ Cephei. The red arrow shows the motion of θ Cephei during the next 10000 years (7.33 arcmin in Right Ascension and -2.17 arcmin in declination);

Distance of θ Cephei from the Sun and relative movement

θ Cephei is distant 135.61 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 7 kilometers per second.

Distance (parsec) 41.60 pc

Distance (light year) 135.61 ly

Heliocentric radial velocity -7 km/s

Proper Motion RA 0.044 arcsec/year

Proper Motion Dec -0.013 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of θ Cephei

θ Cephei belongs to spectral class A7 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

Absolute magnitude 1.12

Spectral Type A7III

Color Index (B-V) 0.2

Temperature of θ Cephei 8163K

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

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

Alternative designations of θ Cephei

Bayer designation θ Cephei
(theta Cephei)

Flamsteed designation 2 Cephei

Henry Draper Catalogue HD195725

SAO Catalogue SAO18897

Hipparcos Catalogue HIP101093

Durchmusterung Catalogue BD+62 1821

FK5 Catalogue 767

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In Evidence

Other stars in Cepheus