Diphda: how to find it and when to see it
Diphda ranks 50th of the 74 bright stars on our list, at magnitude 2.04, in the constellation Cetus.
You can see it from anywhere south of 72° N, and it's highest in the evening sky in November.
Diphda at a glance
- Constellation
- Cetus
- Magnitude
- 2.04
- Rank on our list
- 50 of 74
- Hemisphere
- Southern
- Right ascension
- 0 h 44 min
- Declination
- 18.0° south
- Visible from
- south of 72° N
- Never sets
- south of 72° S
- Best evening
- November 16
- Name from
- Arabic
Where Diphda is in the sky
Diphda sits 18.0° south of the celestial equator, the line in the sky directly above Earth's equator, so it's in the southern half of the sky. Its right ascension is 0 h 44 min.
Right ascension works like longitude on the sky. It's counted in hours, and about one hour of it turns past you each hour of the night.
When and where to see Diphda
From the northern hemisphere
From 40° N, the latitude of New York, Madrid and Beijing, Diphda rises in the south-east, climbs to 32° above the horizon in the south and sets in the south-west.
It's in the evening sky from October to January, and it's highest in the evening around November 16, in autumn.
From the southern hemisphere
From 34° S, the latitude of Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires, Diphda rises in the east, climbs to 74° above the horizon in the north and sets in the west.
It's in the evening sky from September to February, and it's highest in the evening around November 16, in spring.
How high Diphda climbs from each latitude
The evening is about 9 pm local time, or 10 pm in summer time, and later when the sky is still too bright. A star counts as in the evening sky when it's at least 10° above the horizon.
| Latitude | Visibility | Highest point | Evening sky |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60° N | Rises and sets | 12° in the south | Nov |
| 50° N | Rises and sets | 22° in the south | Oct to Dec |
| 40° N | Rises and sets | 32° in the south | Oct to Jan |
| 30° N | Rises and sets | 42° in the south | Sep to Jan |
| 20° N | Rises and sets | 52° in the south | Sep to Jan |
| Equator | Rises and sets | 72° in the south | Sep to Jan |
| 20° S | Rises and sets | 88° in the north | Sep to Jan |
| 34° S | Rises and sets | 74° in the north | Sep to Feb |
| 45° S | Rises and sets | 63° in the north | Aug to Feb |
What the name Diphda means
Diphda comes from the Arabic al-ḍifdaʿ al-thānī, the second frog.
Keep the sky of a night that matters
Our star maps show the stars above any place, at the minute you choose, with the constellation lines drawn in. If Diphda was above the horizon that night, it's on your map, and we print it on museum-grade paper.
Questions about Diphda
Diphda is in Cetus. It sits 18.0° south of the celestial equator, at a right ascension of 0 h 44 min.
Diphda is highest in the evening sky around November 16. That's autumn in the northern hemisphere and spring in the southern hemisphere.
Yes, from anywhere south of 72° N. From 40° N, it climbs to 32° above the horizon in the south.
Diphda has a magnitude of 2.04, which ranks it 50th of the 74 bright stars on our list. Sirius looks about 25 times brighter.
Diphda comes from the Arabic al-ḍifdaʿ al-thānī, the second frog.