The chart shows you where to find Mira the Wonderful, the famous variable star, in late August or early September 2012. That’s when Mira is expected to peak in brightness. But unfortunately, to see the constellation Cetus the whale at this time of year, you need to stay up late or get up early. Mira reaches its highest point in the sky in the wee hours before dawn in August and September.
Menkar is the brightest star in Cetus. It’s located about 220 light-years away. Menkar resides in the Head of the Whale, which is shaped like a lopsided pentagon and which is generally the easiest part of Cetus to identify.
Deneb Kaitos is in the Tail of the Whale. When you see the word “deneb” in star names, it nearly always means “tail.”
More often than not, you won’t see the other star marked on today’s chart with the eye alone. It’s a variable star, Omicron Ceti, whose proper name is Mira. Mira is one of the most famous of all variable stars. The brightness of this star varies over a period of about 11 months. Long ago, early stargazers must have looked at the pattern of stars we know as Cetus and noted the location of a star that was sometimes visible … and sometimes not. That’s probably how Mira came to be called “The Wonderful.”
Mira reached peak brightness in late September and early October in 2011, so it should be around peak brightness around late August and early September in 2012. Although this star’s variable character is not altogether predictable, it is usually bright enough to see with the unaided eye for a month or two. Come to know the constellation Cetus, and watch for Mira. On one of these dark nights, you just might see Mira the Wonderful pop into view!
By the way, Mira was discovered in mid-2007 to have an amazing comet-like tail! This trail of blue cast across the heavens – discovered by astronomers using a space telescope – is is actually hot gas thrown off by Mira. Read more about it here at NASA.
