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A Complete Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
SunriseRise: 6:04  
clear_day Transit: 12:06  
SunsetSet: 18:09
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All Constellations » Taurus » 

Aldebaran - α Tauri (alpha Tauri)

Altitude: -19.9°   Azimuth: 19.8°   Direction: North-North-East

Aldebaran, also designated as α Tauri (alpha Tauri), is a variable and multiple giant star in the constellation of Taurus.

Aldebaran visual magnitude is 0.85, making it the 13th brightest star in the sky. Thanks to its high brightness, Aldebaran is clearly visible when observed from locations with dark skies, and should be also quite easily visible from light polluted areas.

The proper motion of Aldebaran is 0.063 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.19 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 1000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of Aldebaran - α Tauri (alpha Tauri) star
DSS2 image of Aldebaran. The red arrow shows the motion of Aldebaran during the next 1000 years (1.05 arcmin in Right Ascension and -3.17 arcmin in declination);

Key facts about Aldebaran

0.85
Giant

Aldebaran - α Tauri (alpha Tauri) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: -19.9°
Azimuth: 19.8°
Direction: North-North-East

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of Aldebaran

Aldebaran 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 Aldebaran are provided in the following table:

04h 35m 55s
+16° 30’ 33”
180.97°
-20.25°
Taurus

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

Finder chart Aldebaran - α Tauri (alpha Tauri) star
Simplified finder chart for Aldebaran - α Tauri (alpha Tauri).

Visibility of Aldebaran from your location

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

Today's Aldebaran - α Tauri (alpha Tauri) rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 73.5°
Max altitude: 55.0°
Azimuth: 286.5°

Distance of Aldebaran from the Sun and relative movement

Aldebaran is distant 65.08 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 54 kilometers per second.

19.96 pc
65.08 ly
54 km/s
0.063 arcsec/year
-0.19 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of Aldebaran

Aldebaran belongs to spectral class K5 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

-0.65
K5III
3734K

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

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

Aldebaran star system properties

Aldebaran 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 Aldebaran double sysyem:

0.85
10.65
9.8
121.7 arcsec

Alternative designations of Aldebaran

Aldebaran
α Tauri
(alpha Tauri)
SAO94027
SAO94027
Gl 171.1A