63 Ceti
Star in the constellation of Cetus
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63 Ceti is a star in the constellation of Cetus, located just over a degree south of the celestial equator. With an apparent magnitude of about 5.9,[2] the star is barely visible to the naked eye (see Bortle scale) as a dim, orange-hued point of light. Parallax estimates put it at a distance of about 390 light years (129 parsecs) away from the Earth,[1] and it is drifting further away with a radial velocity of 28 km/s.[4]
| Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Right ascension | 02h 11m 35.83534s[1] |
| Declination | −01° 49′ 31.5355″[1] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | +5.93[2] |
| Characteristics | |
| Spectral type | K0III[3] |
| U−B color index | +0.70[2] |
| B−V color index | +0.97[2] |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | 27.69±0.05[4] km/s |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: −11.526[1] mas/yr Dec.: −32.007[1] mas/yr |
| Parallax (π) | 8.4943±0.0610 mas[1] |
| Distance | 384 ± 3 ly (117.7 ± 0.8 pc) |
| Absolute magnitude (MV) | 0.57[5] |
| Details[4] | |
| Mass | 1.85 M☉ |
| Radius | 11.08+0.33 −0.54[1] R☉ |
| Luminosity | 63.7±0.6 L☉ |
| Surface gravity (log g) | 2.59 cgs |
| Temperature | 4940 K |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | 0.17±0.06 dex |
| Rotational velocity (v sin i) | 1.27 km/s |
| Age | 990±50[6] Myr |
| Other designations | |
| 63 Cet, BD−02°375, HD 13468, HIP 10234, HR 639, SAO 129739[7] | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
63 Ceti has a spectral type of K0III,[3] implying an aging K-type giant star. These types of stars are generally reddish-colored stars with spectral types from K to M, with radii that are 10 to 100 times larger than the Sun.[8] 63 Ceti fits this description, with a radius about 11 times larger than the Sun, a mass of about 1.85 times the Sun, and an effective temperature of 4940 K.[4] 63 Ceti is a red clump giant, indicating it is currently at the horizontal branch, a stage in stellar evolution, and is generating energy through core helium fusion. It is close to a billion years old[6] and is radiating 64 times the luminosity of the Sun from its photosphere at an effective temperature of 4,940 K.[4]