The colors in the image result from a G2V star-color-calibration procedure for the entire image-train.

Mu Cepheus was namend by Giuseppe Piazzi the 'Garnet Sidus'. This giant red star appears at a visual brightness of 3m9 and is located in the constellation Cepheus. As it is avariable star its brightness changes of course over the time (+/- 0.6). The spectral class of my Cehphei is M2Ia.

In a distance between 4400 and 5200 LY the star shines between 40.000 to 70.000 times brighter than our sun. The temperature has been noted in the books with 3400 K, which is much cooler than the sun (around 6000K). At present Mu Ceph. has entered its last phase of life, commensing helium-fusion, which results in the production of carbon. Quite soon (in cosmological terms of course!) it is expected to go supernova and will then stimulate neighbouring space with its elements.