Constellations · Constellation · Ceti · Cet
Constellation
Cetus
The sea monster sent to devour Andromeda — a huge, dim constellation with one of astronomy’s most remarkable stars in its neck.
- Genitive
- Ceti
- Area
- 1,231 square degrees · 4th of 88
- Brightest star
- Diphda · magnitude 2.04
- Naked-eye stars
- 198 brighter than magnitude 6.5
- Highest at midnight
- mid October
Myth
Perseus turned the monster to stone with Medusa’s head just in time to save Andromeda.
Discovery
In 1596 David Fabricius watched Mira fade away over a few weeks. It came back — and keeps coming back, every 332 days. It was the first star known to vary, and was named “the wonderful”.
Did you know
Tau Ceti, a Sun-like star 12 light-years away, was one of the first two targets ever searched for alien radio signals, in 1960.