Star · B3V
τ Tau
τ Tau is a main-sequence star of spectral type B3V in the constellation Taurus, 396.3 light-years from the Sun.
| Other names | HIP 21881 |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Taurus |
| Distance | 396.3 light-years (121.5 pc) |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 4.27 |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −1.15 |
| Spectral type | B3V |
| Surface temperature | 11,780 K |
| Luminosity | 455 L☉ |
| Radius | 5.12 R☉ |
| Mass | 5.22 M☉ (estimated) |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 4h 42m 14.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +22° 57′ 25″ |
| Space velocity (relative to the Sun) | 17.7 km/s |
In the sky
Visible to the naked eye under a dark sky (apparent magnitude 4.27). Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 67° S. North of latitude 67° 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 1630. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 7.0 million years.
The Sun seen from there
From a planet around τ Tau, the Sun would look like a star of magnitude 10.25, in the direction where our sky has the constellation Ophiuchus. It would be invisible to the naked eye.
Position, brightness and colour from the HYG / AT-HYG catalogue; temperature, luminosity, radius and mass are approximate values computed from these observations.