- Stars with a name
- Menkar
Menkar
α Ceti
Menkar is a red giant, in the constellation Cetus. The light you see from it tonight left it around 1777.
Where to find it
From mid-northern latitudes, such as New York, Rome or Tokyo, it is best seen in the evening sky in January, October, November, and December.
Visible to the naked eye away from the brightest lights. Apparent magnitude 2.54.
What it’s like
It gives off 490 times as much light as the Sun.
Its surface temperature is about 3,300 degrees Celsius.
It is 249.2 light years away: 2357 trillion kilometres.