DMI image reference Cet. « Previous || Next » All constellations
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Image and text ©2008 Akira Fujii/David Malin Images.
In the picture above, north is at the top and the image covers 54.29 x 67.86 degrees.
Image centre is located at 02:01:40.0, +0:29:02.3 (H:M:S, D:M:S, J2000) Astrometric data from Astrometry.net.
Best seen in the early evening in November
Cetus (the Whale or Sea Monster) is an ancient constellation in the northern sky depicting a whale-like creature basking on the shores of the fabled stream Eridanus, which flows from the celestial equator far into the southern sky. Cetus is extensive but not very distinctive, containing few bright stars. However, some of the stars are exceptionally interesting, particlarly Mira the wonderful, (ο Cet), the prototype variable star, whose variability was first noted 400 years ago. There's much more about this in Wikipedia. The constellation of Aries is discussed under its own heading.
Main named stars in Cetus:(Greek alphabet)
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Baten Kaitos (ζ Cet), Deneb Algenubi (η Cet), Deneb Kaitos (Difda, β Cet), Durre Menthor (τ Cet), Kaffaljidhmah (γ Cet), Menkar (α Cet), Mira (ο Cet), Schemali (ι Cet).
Constellations adjoining Cetus: Aries, Eridanus, Fornax, Pisces, Sculptor, Taurus.