Xi2 Ceti, Latinized from ξ2 Ceti, is a star located in the equatorial constellation of Cetus. It is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of +4.3. This star is located at a distance of approximately 197 light years from the Sun based on parallax, and is drifting further away with a radial velocity of 12 km/s. It made its closest approach some 2.7 million years ago at a distance of around 39.25pc.
Xi2 Ceti is a spectrophotometric standard star. It displays a stellar classification of B9.5III, which suggests it has exhausted its core hydrogen, evolved away from the main sequence, and expanded to become a giant star, although still only 127 million years old. It has 2.45 times the mass and 2.6 times the radius of the Sun.
In Chinese, Chinese: 天囷 (Chinese: Tiān Qūn), meaning Circular Celestial Granary, refers to an asterism consisting of α Ceti, κ1 Ceti, λ Ceti, μ Ceti, ξ1 Ceti, ξ2 Ceti, ν Ceti, γ Ceti, δ Ceti, 75 Ceti, 70 Ceti, 63 Ceti and 66 Ceti. Consequently, the Chinese name for Xi2 Ceti itself is "the Sixth Star of Circular Celestial Granary", Chinese: Tiān Qūn Liù.[1]