Alpha Ceti

This article is about Menkar, one of the brightest stars in Cetus. For the Star Trek "Ceti Alpha" locations, see Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
α Ceti
Location of α Ceti (circled)
Observation data
Epoch J2000      Equinox J2000
Constellation Cetus
Right ascension 03h 02m 16.77307s[1]
Declination +04° 05′ 23.0596″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V) 2.53[2]
Characteristics
Evolutionary stage AGB[3]
Spectral type M1.5 IIIa[4]
U−B color index +1.93[2]
B−V color index +1.64[2]
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)−26.08±0.02[5] km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: −10.41±0.51[1] mas/yr
Dec.: −76.85±0.36[1] mas/yr
Parallax (π)13.09 ± 0.44 mas[1]
Distance249 ± 8 ly
(76 ± 3 pc)
Absolute bolometric
magnitude (Mbol)		−3.2±0.3[4]
Details
Mass2.3±0.2;[6] 1.465–1.933[7] M☉
Radius100.2±3.4[7] R☉
Luminosity1,764±342[7] L☉
Surface gravity (log g)0.66±0.07[7] cgs
Temperature3,738±170[7] K
Metallicity [Fe/H]−0.24±0.09[7] dex
Rotational velocity (v sin i)6.9[8] km/s
Other designations
Menkar, 92 Ceti, HR 911, BD+03°419, HD 18884, SAO 110920, FK5 107, HIP 14135
Database references
SIMBADdata

Alpha Ceti (α Ceti, abbreviated Alpha Cet, α Cet), officially named Menkar /ˈmɛŋkɑːr/,[9][10] is the second-brightest star in the constellation of Cetus. It is a cool luminous red giant estimated to be about 250 light years away based on parallax.

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  9. ^ Kunitzsch, Paul; Smart, Tim (2006). A Dictionary of Modern star Names: A Short Guide to 254 Star Names and Their Derivations (2nd rev. ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Sky Pub. ISBN 978-1-931559-44-7.
  10. ^ "IAU Catalog of Star Names". Retrieved 28 July 2016.