Caph / Beta Cassiopeiae Star Facts (Type, Distance, Magnitude, Age, Mass, Colour, Location and more)

Caph, also known as Beta Cassiopeiae (Bayer) is a giant star located in the constellation of Cassiopeia, Queen of Ethiopia. Caph is a major star and forms part of the constellation.

Based on the spectral type (F2 III), Caph colour is yellow - white.

Caph temperature is in the range of between 6,000 and 7,500 Kelvin. Caph effective temperature is 6,739 Kelvin which is hotter than the Sun's effective temperature, which is 5,777 Kelvin. The uncertainty range for the effective temperature is between -6651 and +6827. Caph is the 73rd brightest star in the night sky and the 3rd brightest star in Cassiopeia based on the Hipparcos 2007 apparent magnitude. Based on a parallax of 59.58, Caph distance from Earth can be calculated at being 54.74 light years away or 16.70 parsecs.

Caph is a naked-eye star, so you don't need a telescope or binoculars when you look up on a clear night. The lower the magnitude, the easier it will be to see it.

Caph is a delta scuti variable star. Variable stars are stars whose size and/or brightness changes over time. Caph brightness ranges from 2.379 (dimmest) to 2.346 over a period of 0.101 days.

Location

The location of the Caph in the night sky is determined by the right ascension (R.A.) and declination (Dec.). These are equivalent to the Longitude and Latitude on Earth. The Right Ascension (Longitude) is expressed in time (hh:mm:ss) and is how far the star is along Earth's celestial equator. If the R.A. is positive, then it's eastwards and vice versa.

The Declination (Latitude) is how far north or south the object is compared to the celestial equator and is expressed in degrees. If the value is positive, it is north of the celestial equator. For Caph, the location is 00h 09m 10.09 and +59° 09` 00.8 .

Based on the location of Cassiopeia, Caph can be located in the northern hemisphere of the celestial sky. The celestial hemisphere is equivalent to the hemispheres on Earth. Caph is north of the Ecliptic. The Ecliptic is the path that the Earth takes as it orbits the Sun. As the Earth is titled, we therefore have Celestial and Ecliptic hemispheres and they can be different for a star.

Physical Properties

Spectral Type

Caph spectral type of F2 III which means its colour and type is yellow to white giant star. There is no relationship between colour and size. For example, a red star can be large or small. Small stars are more energy efficient than larger stars and live longer.

Caph Luminosity

Luminosity is the amount of energy a star pumps out relative to the amount that our star, the Sun, gives out. Our star, the Sun's value is 1. Caph luminosity figure of 26.8 is based on the value in the Simbad Hipparcos Extended Catalogue at the University of Strasbourg from 2012. The star generates more energy than our star.

Caph Size (Radius)

Caph radius has been calculated as being 3.79 times bigger than the Sun. The Sun's radius is 695,800km, therefore, the Caph radius is an estimated 2,637,082.km. If you need the star's diameter, you just need to multiply the radius by 2. The error range for the radius is between 3.75000 and 3.83000.

Magnitude (Apparent / Absolute / Visible)

A number represents a star’s magnitude, whether apparent/visual or absolute. The smaller the number, the brighter the star is. The Sun is the brightest star and therefore has the lowest of all magnitudes, -26.74. A faint star will have a high number.

Caph apparent magnitude is 2.28, which is a measure of the star's brightness as seen from Earth. Apparent Magnitude is also known as Visual Magnitude.

If you use the 1997 parallax value, Caph' absolute magnitude is 1.17. If you use the 2007 parallax value, Caph' absolute magnitude is 1.16. Absolute Magnitude is the star's apparent magnitude from 10 parsecs or 32.6 light years. The magnitude assumes nothing is between the object and the viewer, such as dust clouds. To compare different stars' actual brightness, you would best use Absolute rather than Apparent Magnitude.

Caph is visible from Earth without needing binoculars or a telescope. The lower the Apparent Magnitude of a star or other object is, the easier it is to see in the night sky. An object with a magnitude greater than 6.5 cannot be seen without a telescope or other device.