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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: 7:47  
clear_day Transit: 11:49  
SunsetSet: 15:50 south
wb_twilight Astronomical TwilightWhat's Visible Now?
All Constellations » Cetus » 

ξ2 Ceti (xi2 Ceti)

Altitude: -16.9°   Azimuth: 308.9°   Direction: North-West

ξ2 Ceti is a giant star in the constellation of Cetus.

ξ2 Ceti visual magnitude is 4.28. Because of its moderate brightness, ξ2 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 ξ2 Ceti:

4.28
Giant

ξ2 Ceti (xi2 Ceti) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: -16.9°
Azimuth: 308.9°
Direction: North-West

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of ξ2 Ceti

ξ2 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 ξ2 Ceti are provided in the following table:

02h 28m 09s
+08° 27’ 36”
159.69°
-47.39°
Cetus

The simplified sky map below shows the position of ξ2 Ceti in the sky:

Finder chart ξ2 Ceti (xi2 Ceti) star
Simplified finder chart for ξ2 Ceti (xi2 Ceti).

Visibility of ξ2 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 ξ2 Ceti (xi2 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: 81.5°
Max altitude: 47.0°
Azimuth: 278.5°

Digitized Sky Survey image of ξ2 Ceti

The image below is a photograph of ξ2 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 ξ2 Ceti is 0.04 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.009 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of ξ2 Ceti (xi2 Ceti) star
DSS2 image of ξ2 Ceti. The red arrow shows the motion of ξ2 Ceti during the next 10000 years (6.67 arcmin in Right Ascension and -1.50 arcmin in declination);

Distance of ξ2 Ceti from the Sun and relative movement

ξ2 Ceti is distant 175.93 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 11 kilometers per second.

53.97 pc
175.93 ly
11 km/s
0.04 arcsec/year
-0.009 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of ξ2 Ceti

ξ2 Ceti belongs to spectral class B9 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

0.62
B9III
10941K

The red dot in the diagram below shows where ξ2 Ceti is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.

HR Diagram
H-R diagram showing the position of ξ2 Ceti. Attribution: Richard Powell / CC BY-SA

Alternative designations of ξ2 Ceti

ξ2 Ceti
(xi2 Ceti)
SAO110543
SAO110543