Universe Guide

60 Cygni

60 Cygni Facts

60 Cygni's Alternative Names

The Id of the star in the Yale Bright Star Catalogue is HR8053. HIP103732 is the reference name for the star in the Hipparcos Star Catalogue. The Id of the star in the Henry Draper catalogue is HD200310.

60 Cygni has alternative name(s) :- , V1931 Cyg.

Flamsteed designations are named after the creator, Sir John Flamsteed. Sir John numbered the stars in the constellation with a number and the latin name, this star's Flamsteed designation is 60 Cygni with it shortened to 60 Cyg.



Location of 60 Cygni


Radial Velocity and Proper Motion of 60 Cygni

Proper Motion

All stars like planets orbit round a central spot, in the case of planets, its the central star such as the Sun. In the case of a star, its the galactic centre. The constellations that we see today will be different than they were 50,000 years ago or 50,000 years from now. Proper Motion details the movements of these stars and are measured in milliarcseconds. The star is moving 3.15 ± 0.29 milliarcseconds/year towards the north and 6.98 ± 0.37 milliarcseconds/year east if we saw them in the horizon.

Radial Velocity


60 Cygni Luminosity

Luminosity is the amount of energy that a star pumps out and its relative to the amount that our star, the Sun gives out. The figure of 5,558.53 that I have given is based on the value in the Simbad Hipparcos Extended Catalogue at the University of Strasbourg from 2012.

Physical Properties (Colour, Temperature) of 60 Cygni

60 Cygni Colour and Temperature

60 Cygni has a spectral type of B1V. This means the star is a blue main sequence star. The star has a B-V Colour Index of -0.2 which means the star's temperature has been calculated using information from Morgans @ Uni.edu at being 16,954 Kelvin.

60 Cygni Radius

Radius has been calculated as being 3.81 times bigger than the Sun. The Sun's radius is 695,800km, therefore the star's radius is an estimated 2,647,709.14.km. If you need the diameter of the star, you just need to multiple the radius by 2. However with the 2007 release of updated Hipparcos files, the radius is now calculated at being round 4.25. The figure is derived at by using the formula from SDSS and has been known to produce widely incorrect figures.

60 Cygni Apparent and Absolute Magnitudes

60 Cygni has an apparent magnitude of 5.38 which is how bright we see the star from Earth. Apparent Magnitude is also known as Visual Magnitude. If you used the 1997 Parallax value, you would get an absolute magnitude of -2.73 If you used the 2007 Parallax value, you would get an absolute magnitude of -2.97. Magnitude, whether it be apparent/visual or absolute magnitude is measured by a number, the smaller the number, the brighter the Star is. Our own Sun is the brightest star and therefore has the lowest of all magnitudes, -26.74. A faint star will have a high number.

Distance to 60 Cygni

Using the original Hipparcos data that was released in 1997, the parallax to the star was given as 2.39 which gave the calculated distance to 60 Cygni as 1364.70 light years away from Earth or 418.41 parsecs. It would take a spaceship travelling at the speed of light, 1364.70 years to get there. We don't have the technology or spaceship that can carry people over that distance yet.

In 2007, Hipparcos data was revised with a new parallax of 2.14 which put 60 Cygni at a distance of 1524.13 light years or 467.29 parsecs. It should not be taken as though the star is moving closer or further away from us. It is purely that the distance was recalculated.

Using the 2007 distance, the star is roughly 96,384,809.69 Astronomical Units from the Earth/Sun give or take a few. An Astronomical Unit is the distance between Earth and the Sun. The number of A.U. is the number of times that the star is from the Earth compared to the Sun.


Variable Type of 60 Cygni

The star is a eruptive Gamma Cassiopeiae variable type which means that its size changes over time. The Variable Type is usually named after the first star of that type to be spotted. 60 Cygni brightness ranges from a magnitude of 5.373 to a magnitude of 5.318 over its variable period. The smaller the magnitude, the brighter the star. Its variable/pulsating period lasts for 0.0 days (variability).

Source of Information


Hide Explanations
Show GridLines

Additional 60 Cygni Facts and Figures

Visual Facts

Primary / Proper / Traditional Name60 Cygni
Alternative NamesHD 200310, HIP 103732, HR 8053, 60 Cyg, BD+45 3364, V1931 Cyg
Spectral TypeB1V
Constellation's Main StarNo
Multiple Star SystemYes
Star Type Main Sequence Dwarf Star
GalaxyMilky Way
Absolute Magnitude -2.73 / -2.97
Visual / Apparent Magnitude5.38
Naked Eye VisibleYes - Magnitudes
Right Ascension (R.A.)21h 01m 10.92
Declination (Dec.)+46° 09` 20.8
Galactic Latitude-0.10 degrees
Galactic Longitude87.15 degrees
1997 Distance from Earth2.39 Parallax (milliarcseconds)
 1364.70 Light Years
 418.41 Parsecs
2007 Distance from Earth2.14 Parallax (milliarcseconds)
 1524.13 Light Years
 467.29 Parsecs
 96,384,809.69 Astronomical Units
Galacto-Centric Distance24,109.99 Light Years / 7,392.00 Parsecs
Proper Motion Dec.3.15 ± 0.29 milliarcseconds/year
Proper Motion RA.6.98 ± 0.37 milliarcseconds/year
B-V Index-0.20
Radial Velocity-11.60 ± 4.20 km/s
Semi-Major Axis7637.00
Stellar Luminosity (Lsun)5,558.53

Companions (Multi-Star and Exoplanets) Facts

Exoplanet CountNone/Unaware

Variable Star Details

Variable Star ClassEruptive
Variable Star TypeGamma Cassiopeiae
Mean Variability Period in Days0.044
Variable Magnitude Range (Brighter - Dimmer)5.318 - 5.373

Estimated Calculated Facts

Radius (x the Sun)4.25
Effective Temperature16,954 Kelvin

Sources and Links

SIMBAD SourceLink

Multi-Star System


Proper Motion mas/yr
H.D. IdB.D. IdStar CodeMagnitudeR.A.Dec.SpectrumColourYear
200310+45 3364.0A5.200004.000002.00000B3Blue/White

Related Stars

Comments and Questions



This website is using cookies. More info. That's Fine