Theta Ceti
| Observation data Epoch J2000.0 Equinox J2000.0 (ICRS) | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus[1] |
| Right ascension | 01h 24m 01.40328s[2] |
| Declination | −08° 10′ 59.7392″[2] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 3.60[3] |
| Characteristics | |
| Evolutionary stage | red clump[4] |
| Spectral type | K0 III[5] |
| B−V color index | +1.07[3] |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | +17.2±0.5[6] km/s |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: −76.226 mas/yr[2] Dec.: −201.519 mas/yr[2] |
| Parallax (π) | 29.0339±0.2198 mas[2] |
| Distance | 112.3 ± 0.9 ly (34.4 ± 0.3 pc) |
| Absolute magnitude (MV) | +0.89[1] |
| Details | |
| Mass | 1.80[7] M☉ |
| Radius | 10.37±0.09[8] R☉ |
| Luminosity | 58.3±3.0[8] L☉ |
| Surface gravity (log g) | 2.70[3] cgs |
| Temperature | 4,951±64[8] K |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | −0.13±0.15[3] dex |
| Rotational velocity (v sin i) | 2.60[3] km/s |
| Age | 2.20[7] Gyr |
| Other designations | |
| θ Cet, 45 Cet, BD−08°244, FK5 47, HD 8512, HIP 6537, HR 402, SAO 129274[9] | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
Theta Ceti is a solitary,[10] orange-hued star in the equatorial constellation of Cetus. Its name is a Bayer designation that is Latinized from θ Ceti, and abbreviated Theta Cet or θ Cet. This star is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of 3.60.[3] Based upon an annual parallax shift of 20.04 mas as seen from Earth,[2] it is located about 112 light-years (34 pc) from the Sun. At that distance, the visual magnitude is diminished by an extinction factor of 0.28 due to interstellar dust.[8] The star is drifting further away with a line of sight velocity component of +17 km/s.[6]
With an age of about 2.2 billion years,[7] this is an evolved, K-type giant star with a stellar classification of K0 III.[5] It is a red clump[4] star on the horizontal branch,[3] which means it is generating energy through helium fusion at its core.[4] The star has an estimated 1.8[7] times the mass of the Sun and has expanded to 10 times the Sun's radius. It is radiating 58 times the solar luminosity from its photosphere at an effective temperature of 4,951 K.[8]
Name
In the catalogue of stars in the Calendarium of Al Achsasi Al Mouakket, this star was designated Thanih al Naamat (ثاني النعامات - thānī al-naʽāmāt), which was translated into Latin as Secunda Struthionum, meaning the second ostrich.[11] This star, along with η Cet (Deneb Algenubi), τ Cet (Thalath Al Naamat), ζ Cet (Baten Kaitos) and υ Cet, were Al Naʽāmāt (النعامات), the Hen Ostriches.[12]
In Chinese, 天倉 (Tiān Cāng), meaning Square Celestial Granary, refers to an asterism consisting of θ Ceti, ι Ceti, η Ceti, ζ Ceti, τ Ceti and 57 Ceti.[13] Consequently, the Chinese name for θ Ceti itself is 天倉三 (Tiān Cāng sān, English: the Third Star of Square Celestial Granary).[14]
References
- ^ a b Anderson, E.; Francis, Ch. (2012), "XHIP: An extended hipparcos compilation", Astronomy Letters, 38 (5): 331, arXiv:1108.4971, Bibcode:2012AstL...38..331A, doi:10.1134/S1063773712050015 XHIP record for this object at VizieR.
- ^ a b c d e Vallenari, A.; et al. (Gaia collaboration) (2023). "Gaia Data Release 3. Summary of the content and survey properties". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 674: A1. arXiv:2208.00211. Bibcode:2023A&A...674A...1G. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202243940. S2CID 244398875. Gaia DR3 record for this source at VizieR.
- ^ a b c d e f g Jones, M. I.; et al. (December 2011), "Study of the impact of the post-MS evolution of the host star on the orbits of close-in planets. I. Sample definition and physical properties", Astronomy & Astrophysics, 536: 7, arXiv:1110.6459, Bibcode:2011A&A...536A..71J, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201117887, S2CID 55769003, A71.
- ^ a b c Laney, C. D.; et al. (January 2012), "A new Large Magellanic Cloud K-band distance from precision measurements of nearby red clump stars", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 419 (2): 1637–1641, arXiv:1109.4800, Bibcode:2012MNRAS.419.1637L, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.19826.x, S2CID 117788450.
- ^ a b Houk, N.; Swift, C. (1999), "Michigan catalogue of two-dimensional spectral types for the HD Stars", Michigan Spectral Survey, 5, Ann Arbor, Michigan: Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, Bibcode:1999MSS...C05....0H.
- ^ a b de Bruijne, J. H. J.; Eilers, A.-C. (October 2012), "Radial velocities for the HIPPARCOS-Gaia Hundred-Thousand-Proper-Motion project", Astronomy & Astrophysics, 546: 14, arXiv:1208.3048, Bibcode:2012A&A...546A..61D, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201219219, S2CID 59451347, A61.
- ^ a b c d Luck, R. Earle (2015), "Abundances in the Local Region. I. G and K Giants", Astronomical Journal, 150 (3), 88, arXiv:1507.01466, Bibcode:2015AJ....150...88L, doi:10.1088/0004-6256/150/3/88, S2CID 118505114.
- ^ a b c d e Baines, Ellyn K.; et al. (2018), "Fundamental Parameters of 87 Stars from the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer", The Astronomical Journal, 155 (1): 30, arXiv:1712.08109, Bibcode:2018AJ....155...30B, doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aa9d8b, S2CID 119427037.
- ^ "tet Cet", SIMBAD, Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg, retrieved 2026-02-18
- ^ Eggleton, P. P.; Tokovinin, A. A. (September 2008), "A catalogue of multiplicity among bright stellar systems", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 389 (2): 869–879, arXiv:0806.2878, Bibcode:2008MNRAS.389..869E, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.13596.x, S2CID 14878976.
- ^ Knobel, E. B. (June 1895), "Al Achsasi Al Mouakket, on a catalogue of stars in the Calendarium of Mohammad Al Achsasi Al Mouakket", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 55: 429, Bibcode:1895MNRAS..55..429K, doi:10.1093/mnras/55.8.429.
- ^ Allen, R. H. (1963), Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning (Reprint ed.), New York: Dover Publications Inc, p. 162, ISBN 0-486-21079-0, retrieved 2017-04-26.
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: ignored ISBN errors (link) - ^ (in Chinese) 中國星座神話, written by 陳久金. Published by 台灣書房出版有限公司, 2005, ISBN 978-986-7332-25-7.
- ^ (in Chinese) AEEA (Activities of Exhibition and Education in Astronomy) 天文教育資訊網 2006 年 7 月 10 日 Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine