Gamma Ceti
star system in the constellation Cetus
Gamma Ceti is a triple star system in the equatorial constellation of Cetus. Its name is a Bayer designation that is Latinized from γ Ceti, and abbreviated Gamma Cet or γ Cet. This system combined apparent visual magnitude of 3.47, which is bright enough to be visible to the naked eye. Based upon parallax measurements, this system is located at a distance of about 80 light-years (24.4 parsecs) from the Sun. It is drifting closer to the Sun with a line of sight velocity component of –5 km/s.
The three components are designated Gamma Ceti A (officially named Kaffaljidhma , the traditional name for the entire system), B and C.
Nomenclature
γ Ceti (Latinised to Gamma Ceti) is the system's Bayer designation. The designations of the three components as Gamma Ceti A, B and C derive from the convention used by the Washington Multiplicity Catalog (WMC) for multiple star systems, and adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). The close pair AB is also designated HIP 12706, HD 16970, and HR 804. The system of A, B, and C is collectively designated GJ 106.1 in the Gliese Catalogue of Nearby Stars.
Gamma Ceti bore the traditional names of Al Kaff al Jidhmah or Kaffaljidhma, derived from Arabic: الكف الجذماء al-kaf al-jaðmāʾ ('the cut-short hand').
The public source identifies “Gamma Ceti” as star system in the constellation Cetus. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Gamma, Ceti and star.
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This entry incorporates text from “Gamma Ceti” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.