Lambda Ceti, Latinized from λ Ceti, is

B-type star A B-type main-sequence star (B V) is a main-sequence (hydrogen-burning) star of spectral type B and luminosity class V. These stars have from 2 to 16 times the mass of the Sun and surface temperatures between 10,000 and 30,000 K. B-type stars ...

of fifth-magnitude located in the

constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The origins of the e ...

Cetus. Historically, the star bore the traditional name Menkar, although today that name is more commonly associated with α Ceti. This star, along with α Cet (Menkar), γ Cet (Kaffaljidhma), δ Cet, μ Cet, ξ¹ Cet and ξ² Cet were ''Al Kaff al Jidhmah'', "the Part of a Hand". In

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

, (), meaning '' Circular Celestial Granary'', refers to an asterism consisting of λ Ceti, α Ceti, κ¹ Ceti, μ Ceti, ξ¹ Ceti, ξ² Ceti,

ν Ceti ν Ceti, Latinized as Nu Ceti, is a binary star system in the equatorial constellation of Cetus. It is visible to the naked eye as a faint point of light with a combined apparent visual magnitude of 4.86. The system is located approxi ...

γ Ceti Gamma Ceti (γ Ceti, abbreviated Gamma Cet, γ Cet) is a triple star system in the equatorial constellation of Cetus. It has a combined apparent visual magnitude of 3.47. Based upon parallax measurements, this star is located at a dista ...

δ Ceti Delta Ceti, Latinized from δ Ceti, is a single, blue-white hued star in the equatorial constellation of Cetus. The star's apparent visual magnitude of +4.06 means it is near to the cusp of the faintest third of the stars that are visi ...

75 Ceti 75 Ceti is a single star in the equatorial constellation of Cetus with at least one planet. It is visible to the naked eye as a dim, orange-hued star with an apparent visual magnitude of +5.36. The star is located 271 light years dis ...

70 Ceti 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube (algebra), cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion ...

63 Ceti 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, the star is barely visible to the naked eye (see Bortle scale) as a dim, orange-hued po ...

and

66 Ceti 66 may refer to: * 66 (number) * One of the years 66 BC, AD 66, 1966, 2066 * "66" (song), a song by Lil Yachty featuring Trippie Redd *66, a song by The Afghan Whigs, from the album 1965 *Sixty-Six (card game), a German card game * ''Sixty Six ...

. Consequently, the Chinese name for λ Ceti itself is (, en, the Third Star of Circular Celestial Granary.)AEEA (Activities of Exhibition and Education in Astronomy) 天文教育資訊網 2006 年 7 月 11 日
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Properties

Lambda Ceti is a blue giant star with

stellar classification In astronomy, stellar classification is the classification of stars based on their stellar spectrum, spectral characteristics. Electromagnetic radiation from the star is analyzed by splitting it with a Prism (optics), prism or diffraction grati ...

B6III. With five times the mass of the Sun and an estimated radius that is , the star radiates a bolometric luminosity of about . In 1997 the

Hipparcos ''Hipparcos'' was a scientific satellite of the European Space Agency (ESA), launched in 1989 and operated until 1993. It was the first space experiment devoted to precision astrometry, the accurate measurement of the positions of celestial obj ...

satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotope ...

estimated its

parallax Parallax is a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different lines of sight and is measured by the angle or semi-angle of inclination between those two lines. Due to foreshortening, nearby objects ...

at 7.69 ± 0.76 milliarcseconds yielding a distance from

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

of about 130 ± 10 parsecs or 420 ± 40

light year A light-year, alternatively spelled light year, is a large unit of length used to express astronomical distances and is equivalent to about 9.46 trillion kilometers (), or 5.88 trillion miles ().One trillion here is taken to be 1012 ...

s. However recent

astrometric Astrometry is a branch of astronomy that involves precise measurements of the positions and movements of stars and other celestial bodies. It provides the kinematics and physical origin of the Solar System and this galaxy, the Milky Way. Histor ...

calculations by van Leeuwen have placed the distance much farther at about 177 ± 7 pc or 580 ± 20 ly—a revaluation which significantly altered other stellar parameters. Its

apparent magnitude Apparent magnitude () is a measure of the brightness of a star or other astronomical object observed from Earth. An object's apparent magnitude depends on its intrinsic luminosity, its distance from Earth, and any extinction of the object's li ...

has been recently recalibrated at 4.6767 yielding an

absolute magnitude Absolute magnitude () is a measure of the luminosity of a celestial object on an inverse Logarithmic scale, logarithmic Magnitude (astronomy), astronomical magnitude scale. An object's absolute magnitude is defined to be equal to the apparent mag ...

of -1.56, almost as bright as its neighbor

Alpha Ceti Alpha Ceti (α Ceti, abbreviated Alpha Cet, α Cet), officially named Menkar , is the second-brightest star in the constellation of Cetus. It is a cool luminous red giant about 250 light years away. Nomenclature ''Alpha Ceti'' is ...

at -1.62.

References

{{Stars of Cetus B-type giants Cetus (constellation) Ceti, Lambda BD+08 0455 Ceti, 91 018604 013954 0896