Star · K5 III
Aldebaran
Aldebaran is a giant star of spectral type K5 III in the constellation Taurus, 66.6 light-years from the Sun. It is orbited by 1 confirmed exoplanet(s).
| Other names | α Tau · alf Tau · Gl 171.1A · HIP 21421 |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Taurus |
| Distance | 66.6 light-years (20.4 pc) |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 0.87 |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −0.68 |
| Spectral type | K5 III |
| Surface temperature | 4,060 K |
| Luminosity | 470 L☉ |
| Radius | 45.1 R☉ |
| Mass | 1.13 M☉ |
| Age | 6.6 billion years |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | -0.27 |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 4h 35m 55.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | +16° 30′ 33″ |
| Space velocity (relative to the Sun) | 57.7 km/s |
In the sky
Visible to the naked eye under a dark sky (apparent magnitude 0.87). Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 73° S. North of latitude 73° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in November, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around the year 1959. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 1.2 million years.
The Sun seen from there
From a planet around Aldebaran, the Sun would look like a star of magnitude 6.38, in the direction where our sky has the constellation Ophiuchus. It would be visible to the naked eye.
Planets
- alf Tau b 629-day orbit · 12.7 R⊕
Neighbours
Its nearest neighbours in the catalogue (within 20 light-years):
- Gl 171.1B 2.38 light-years
- GJ 3274 6.89 light-years
- GJ 3337 10.6 light-years
- CWISE J043309.36+100902.3 10.6 light-years
- PSO J062.3459+11.1794 11.1 light-years
- GJ 3255 11.6 light-years
- 2MASS J04070885+1514565 12.0 light-years
- GJ 3292 12.4 light-years
Stellar parameters from the NASA Exoplanet Archive; position and brightness from the HYG / AT-HYG catalogue.