Star · K3I
3 Cet
3 Cet is a supergiant star of spectral type K3I in the constellation Cetus, 1,982 light-years from the Sun.
| Other names | HIP 355 |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Distance | 1,982 light-years (607.6 pc) |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 4.99 |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −3.93 |
| Spectral type | K3I |
| Surface temperature | 3,620 K |
| Luminosity | 15,000 L☉ |
| Radius | 311 R☉ |
| Mass | 14.2 M☉ (estimated) |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 0h 04m 30.1s |
| Declination (J2000) | −10° 30′ 34″ |
| Space velocity (relative to the Sun) | 56.8 km/s |
In the sky
Visible to the naked eye under a dark sky (apparent magnitude 4.99). Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 79° N. South of latitude 79° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in September, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around the year 44. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 35 million years.
The Sun seen from there
From a planet around 3 Cet, the Sun would look like a star of magnitude 13.75, in the direction where our sky has the constellation Virgo. It would be invisible to the naked eye.
Position, brightness and colour from the HYG / AT-HYG catalogue; temperature, luminosity, radius and mass are approximate values computed from these observations.