Iota Ceti
DSS image of Iota Ceti
Overlaid DSS image of Iota Ceti, 60' x 60' with north at top and west to the right

Aladin viewer for the region around Iota Ceti
ι Cet, 8 Cet
BD-09 48, HD 1522, HR 74, WDS J00194-0849A, SAO 128694, GSC 05261-01084, HIP 1562

Type  Star
Magnitude  3.55
Right Ascension  0h 19' 25.7"  (2000)
Declination  8° 49' 26" S
Constellation  Cetus
Classification  K1+IIICN0.5
Observing Notes

Andrew Cooper
Oct 16, 2020    Waikoloa, HI (map)
20cm f/6 Newtonian, Cave Astrola @ 76x
Seeing: 7 Transparency: 6 Moon: 0%

Brilliant pale orange, a 13th magnitude 1' companion not visible

WDS lists two possible compainions B (noted above) and C a 10th magnitude 2' south, none of the GAIA DR2 sources within several arcminutes have a parallax remotely near the 14mas of ιCet including the stars listed by WDS

Andrew Cooper
Jul 30, 2020    Waikoloa, HI (map)
20cm f/6 Newtonian, Cave Astrola @ 61x
Seeing: 7 Transparency: 6 Moon: 0%

Pale orange, no companion noted

Captain William Henry Smyth
Oct 27, 1838    No. 6 The Crescent, Bedford, England (map)
150mm f/17.6 refractor by Tully 1827

A wide double star on the north extreme of the tail; whence it was called Dheneb Kaïtos shemálí, the northern branch of the Whale's tail. A 4, bright yellow; B 15, deep blue. This is an excessively difficult object, being only discernible after long attention, and by occasionally averting the eye to another part of the field in view. The position and distance are therefore only the result of cautious estimation. It is No. 1953 of H.'s Fifth Series, where the companion is rated as of the 12th magnitude. There is a small star near the vertical, in the sp quadrant. The proper motion of A has been deduced by reference to standard Catalogues, from which it was thus valued:
     Flamsteed . .RA + 0".161 Dec. + 0".08
Roemer . . . + 0".118 - 0".05
Bradley . . . - 0".114 - 0".06
and by Mr. Daily's recent deductions, its amount is, in RA +0".02, and in Dec. -0".05. The object may be found by a line carried through α Andromedae and γ Pegasi, and extended to about 24° south of the latter, where it will be seen as the north-eastern apex of a nearly equilateral triangle formed by ι, η, and β Ceti.
― A Cycle of Celestial Objects Vol II, The Bedford Catalogue, William Henry Smyth, 1844
Other Data Sources for Iota Ceti
Nearby objects for Iota Ceti
10 objects found within 120'
AD Ceti HD 1064 HD 1461
IC 5 NGC 107 NGC 116
NGC 47 NGC 50
NGC 64
Credits...

Drawings, descriptions, and CCD photos are copyright Andrew Cooper unless otherwise noted, no usage without permission.

A complete list of credits and sources can be found on the about page

Iota Ceti