Ain - ε Tauri (epsilon Tauri)

Ain, also designated as ε Tauri (epsilon Tauri), is a double giant star in the constellation of Taurus.

Ain visual magnitude is 3.53. Because of its moderate brightness, Ain should be easily visible from locations with dark skyes, while it can be barely visible, or not visible at all, from skyes affected by light pollution.

The table below summarizes the key facts about Ain:

Color of Ain ⬤

Magnitude of Ain 3.53

Class Giant

VISIBILITY RIGHT NOW Ain - ε Tauri (epsilon Tauri) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of Ain

Ain is situated close to the celestial equator, as such, it is at least partly visible from both hemispheres in certain times of the year. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of Ain are provided in the following table:

Right Ascension J2000 04h 28m 36s

Declination J2000 +19° 10’ 49”

Galactic Longitude 177.6°

Galactic Latitude -19.92°

Constellation Taurus

The simplified sky map below shows the position of Ain in the sky:

Finder chart Ain - ε Tauri (epsilon Tauri) star

Simplified finder chart for Ain - ε Tauri (epsilon Tauri).

Visibility of Ain from your location

Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London

Today's Ain - ε Tauri (epsilon Tauri) rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 70.8° RISE 9:20

Max altitude: 57.7° TRANSIT 17:01

Azimuth: 289.2° SET 0:42

RIGHT NOW Ain - ε Tauri (epsilon Tauri) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom

Digitized Sky Survey image of Ain

The image below is a photograph of Ain from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2 - see the credits section) taken in the red channel. The area of sky represented in the image is 0.5x0.5 degrees (30x30 arcmins). The proper motion of Ain is 0.107 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.038 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 1000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of Ain - ε Tauri (epsilon Tauri) star

DSS2 image of Ain. The red arrow shows the motion of Ain during the next 1000 years (1.78 arcmin in Right Ascension and -0.63 arcmin in declination);

Distance of Ain from the Sun and relative movement

Ain is distant 154.94 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 39 kilometers per second.

Distance (parsec) 47.53 pc

Distance (light year) 154.94 ly

Heliocentric radial velocity 39 km/s

Proper Motion RA 0.107 arcsec/year

Proper Motion Dec -0.038 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of Ain

Ain belongs to spectral class G9 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

Absolute magnitude 0.15

Spectral Type G9III

Color Index (B-V) 1.01

Temperature of Ain 4719K

The red dot in the diagram below shows where Ain is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.

H-R diagram showing the position of Ain. Attribution: Richard Powell / CC BY-SA

Ain star system properties

Ain is a visual double star which can be observed only with the help of very large telescopes. The table below shows key information about the Ain double sysyem:

Main star magnitude 3.53

Secondary star magnitude 10.53

Magnitude difference 7

Separation 181.6 arcsec

Alternative designations of Ain

Proper Name Ain

Bayer designation ε Tauri
(epsilon Tauri)

Flamsteed designation 74 Tauri

Henry Draper Catalogue HD28305

SAO Catalogue SAO93954

Hipparcos Catalogue HIP20889

Durchmusterung Catalogue BD+18 640

FK5 Catalogue 164

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