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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 » 

Electra - 17 Tauri

Altitude: -8.3°   Azimuth: 32.2°   Direction: North-North-East

Electra, also designated as 17 Tauri , is a double giant star in the constellation of Taurus.

Electra visual magnitude is 3.7. Because of its moderate brightness, Electra should be easily visible from locations with dark skies, while it can be barely visible, or not visible at all, from skies affected by light pollution.

The proper motion of Electra is 0.019 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.046 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of Electra - 17 Tauri star
DSS2 image of Electra. The red arrow shows the motion of Electra during the next 10000 years (3.17 arcmin in Right Ascension and -7.67 arcmin in declination);

Key facts about Electra

3.7
Giant

Electra - 17 Tauri is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: -8.3°
Azimuth: 32.2°
Direction: North-North-East

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of Electra

Electra 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 Electra are provided in the following table:

03h 44m 52s
+24° 06’ 47”
166.18°
-23.85°
Taurus

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

Finder chart Electra - 17 Tauri star
Simplified finder chart for Electra - 17 Tauri.

Visibility of Electra 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 Electra - 17 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: 65.9°
Max altitude: 62.6°
Azimuth: 294.1°

Distance of Electra from the Sun and relative movement

Electra is distant 370.45 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 12 kilometers per second.

113.64 pc
370.45 ly
12 km/s
0.019 arcsec/year
-0.046 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of Electra

Electra belongs to spectral class B6 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

-1.58
B6III
11744K

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

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

Electra star system properties

Electra 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 Electra double sysyem:

3.7
5.7
2
0 arcsec

Alternative designations of Electra

Electra
SAO76131
SAO76131