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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
north SunriseRise: 7:47  
clear_day Transit: 11:49  
SunsetSet: 15:50 south
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now?
All Constellations » Cassiopeia » 

τ Cassiopeiae (tau Cassiopeiae)

Altitude: 21.9°   Azimuth: 13.2°   Direction: North-North-East

τ Cassiopeiae is a variable giant star in the constellation of Cassiopeia.

τ Cassiopeiae visual magnitude is 4.87. Because of its moderate brightness, τ Cassiopeiae 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 Cassiopeiae:

4.87
Giant

τ Cassiopeiae (tau Cassiopeiae) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 21.9°
Azimuth: 13.2°
Direction: North-North-East

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of τ Cassiopeiae

τ Cassiopeiae 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 Cassiopeiae are provided in the following table:

23h 47m 03s
+58° 39’ 06”
114.63°
-3.18°
Cassiopeia

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

Finder chart τ Cassiopeiae (tau Cassiopeiae) star
Simplified finder chart for τ Cassiopeiae (tau Cassiopeiae).

Visibility of τ Cassiopeiae from your location

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

τ Cassiopeiae (tau Cassiopeiae) is circumpolar and transits at 18:49 UTC (altitude: 82.8°)

Digitized Sky Survey image of τ Cassiopeiae

The image below is a photograph of τ Cassiopeiae 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 Cassiopeiae is 0.061 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and 0.057 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of τ Cassiopeiae (tau Cassiopeiae) star
DSS2 image of τ Cassiopeiae. The red arrow shows the motion of τ Cassiopeiae during the next 10000 years (10.17 arcmin in Right Ascension and 9.50 arcmin in declination);

Distance of τ Cassiopeiae from the Sun and relative movement

τ Cassiopeiae is distant 172.67 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 21 kilometers per second.

52.97 pc
172.67 ly
-21 km/s
0.061 arcsec/year
0.057 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of τ Cassiopeiae

τ Cassiopeiae belongs to spectral class K1 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

1.25
K1III
4493K

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

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

Alternative designations of τ Cassiopeiae

τ Cassiopeiae
(tau Cassiopeiae)
5 Cassiopeiae
SAO35763
SAO35763