τ Aurigae (tau Aurigae)

τ Aurigae is a multiple giant star in the constellation of Auriga.

τ Aurigae visual magnitude is 4.52. Because of its moderate brightness, τ Aurigae 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 τ Aurigae:

Color of τ Aurigae ⬤

Magnitude of τ Aurigae 4.52

Class Giant

VISIBILITY RIGHT NOW τ Aurigae (tau Aurigae) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt. Altitude: 53°.

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of τ Aurigae

τ Aurigae is situated north of the celestial equator, as such, it is more easily visible from the northern hemisphere. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of τ Aurigae are provided in the following table:

Right Ascension J2000 05h 49m 10s

Declination J2000 +39° 10’ 51”

Galactic Longitude 171.58°

Galactic Latitude 5.91°

Constellation Auriga

The simplified sky map below shows the position of τ Aurigae in the sky:

Finder chart τ Aurigae (tau Aurigae) star

Simplified finder chart for τ Aurigae (tau Aurigae).

Visibility of τ Aurigae from your location

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

τ Aurigae (tau Aurigae) is circumpolar and transits at 13:21 UTC (altitude: 77.7°)

Digitized Sky Survey image of τ Aurigae

The image below is a photograph of τ Aurigae 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 τ Aurigae is -0.025 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.022 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

DSS2 image of τ Aurigae. The red arrow shows the motion of τ Aurigae during the next 10000 years (-4.17 arcmin in Right Ascension and -3.67 arcmin in declination);

Distance of τ Aurigae from the Sun and relative movement

τ Aurigae is distant 212.52 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 20 kilometers per second.

Distance (parsec) 65.19 pc

Distance (light year) 212.52 ly

Heliocentric radial velocity -20 km/s

Proper Motion RA -0.025 arcsec/year

Proper Motion Dec -0.022 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of τ Aurigae

τ Aurigae belongs to spectral class G8 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

Absolute magnitude 0.45

Spectral Type G8III

Color Index (B-V) 0.94

Temperature of τ Aurigae 4892K

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

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

τ Aurigae star system properties

τ Aurigae 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 τ Aurigae double sysyem:

Main star magnitude 4.52

Secondary star magnitude 10.62

Magnitude difference 6.1

Separation 49.6 arcsec

Alternative designations of τ Aurigae

Bayer designation τ Aurigae
(tau Aurigae)

Flamsteed designation 29 Aurigae

Henry Draper Catalogue HD38656

SAO Catalogue SAO58465

Hipparcos Catalogue HIP27483

Durchmusterung Catalogue BD+39 1418

Aitken Double Star Catalogue ADS4398

In Evidence

Other stars in Auriga