81 Ceti

81 Ceti
Observation data
Epoch J2000.0      Equinox J2000.0
Constellation Cetus
Right ascension 02h 37m 41.80208s
Declination −03° 23 46.2259
Apparent magnitude (V) 5.65
Characteristics
Evolutionary stage red clump
Spectral type K0III or G5III
B−V color index 1.021±0.001
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)+9.14±0.12 km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: 41.765 mas/yr
Dec.: −43.379 mas/yr
Parallax (π)9.5199±0.0756 mas
Distance343 ± 3 ly
(105.0 ± 0.8 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)0.82
Details
Mass1.6±0.2 M
Radius11.1±0.3 R
Luminosity60.0±0.8 L
Surface gravity (log g)2.5±0.1 cgs
Temperature4,825±41 K
Metallicity [Fe/H]0.00±0.04 dex
Rotational velocity (v sin i)1.20±0.47 km/s
Age2.5±0.9 Gyr
Other designations
81 Cet, BD−04°436, GC 3158, HD 16400, HIP 12247, HR 771, SAO 130026
Database references
SIMBADdata
Exoplanet Archivedata

81 Ceti is a star located approximately 343 light-years away from the Sun in the equatorial constellation of Cetus. 81 Ceti is the Flamsteed designation for this object. It is visible to the naked eye as a dim, yellow-hued point of light with an apparent visual magnitude of 5.65. The star is drifting further away from the Earth with a heliocentric radial velocity of +9 km/s.

This is an aging K-type giant star with a stellar classification of K0III, having exhausted the supply of hydrogen at its core and expanded to 11 times the Sun's radius. It is a red clump giant, which indicates it is on the horizontal branch and is generating energy from core helium fusion. The star is now 2.5 billion years old with 1.6 times the mass of the Sun. It is radiating 60 times the luminosity of the Sun from its enlarged photosphere at an effective temperature of 4,825 K.