Mira
Omicron Ceti
Scientific overview
Mira is a red dwarf in the constellation Cetus (Ceti), lying about 298.95 light-years from Earth.
Class M. Cool red stars. The most common type in the galaxy, ranging from red dwarfs to red giants. Such stars have surface temperatures around 2,400–3,700 K and appear red to the eye.
Physical properties
| Spectral type | M5e-M9e |
| Apparent magnitude | 6.47 |
| Absolute magnitude | 1.66 |
| Luminosity (Sun = 1) | 18.897 |
| Colour index (B−V) | 0.966 |
| Distance | 298.95 ly (91.66 pc) |
Values are real catalogue data; fields without a reliable value are omitted, never estimated.
Precision measurements
Astrometry and astrophysics from SIMBAD
| Parallax | 10.91 ± 1.22 mas | SIMBAD · measured |
| Proper motion (RA) | 9.33 mas/yr | SIMBAD · measured |
| Proper motion (Dec) | -237.4 mas/yr | SIMBAD · measured |
| Radial velocity | 63.5 ± 0.6 km/s | SIMBAD · measured |
| Spectral type | M5/6IIIe | SIMBAD · catalogued |
| Right ascension (ICRS) | 34.8366 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
| Declination (ICRS) | -2.9776 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
Full field-level provenance
- Parallax: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · plx_value · 2007A&A...474..653V · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Proper motion (RA): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · pmra · 2007A&A...474..653V · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Proper motion (Dec): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · pmdec · 2007A&A...474..653V · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Radial velocity: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · rvz_radvel · 2007AN....328..889K · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Spectral type: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · sp_type · 1999MSS...C05....0H · catalogue identifier/value · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Right ascension (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · ra · 2007A&A...474..653V · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Declination (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · dec · 2007A&A...474..653V · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
measured = direct catalogue value · estimated = Bayesian inference (Bailer-Jones distance) · modeled = model output (Gaia GSP-Phot). Fields a source did not provide are omitted, never invented.
Evolution
A red dwarf is a small, cool, low-mass main-sequence star. Red dwarfs burn their fuel so slowly that they can shine for tens of billions of years — far longer than the present age of the universe.
Location in the sky
Knowledge connections
- In constellationCetus
Related stars in Cetus
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- HYG DatabaseHYG Database (Hipparcos + Yale Bright Star + Gliese), by D. Nash / astronexus
Aggregated, openly-licensed star catalogue combining Hipparcos, the Yale Bright Star Catalogue, and the Gliese Catalogue of Nearby Stars.
- HipparcosESA Hipparcos space astrometry mission
High-precision parallax, magnitude, and position for ~118,000 stars.