Baten Kaitos is an orange giant in Cetus whose name means the belly of the sea monster, the part of the great figure it marks in the autumn sky.
At a glance
| type | orange giant (class K) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 235 light-years (72 pc) |
| its light left it | 235 years ago |
| luminosity | 205 × the Sun |
| radius | 20.5 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 4,830 K |
| constellation | Cetus (Sea Monster) |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Baten Kaitos
Baten Kaitos is a class K giant, a star that has left the main sequence, swollen and cooled to an orange colour. It is many times wider than the Sun and correspondingly more luminous.
The name comes from the Arabic for the belly of the sea monster, describing its place in the long body of Cetus, between the head around Menkar and the tail at Diphda. It is easy to overlook, since Cetus spreads its modest stars across a wide and otherwise empty region.
What you see in the piece
Baten Kaitos is an orange point in the piece, at its true distance. Seen from space, the sea monster’s belly, head and tail all lie at different depths and no longer form a body.
Questions
What does Baten Kaitos mean?
It means the belly of the sea monster, from the Arabic, after its place in the constellation Cetus.
How far away is Baten Kaitos?
Baten Kaitos is 235 light-years (72 pc) from the Sun.