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:

Color of τ Cassiopeiae ⬤

Magnitude of τ Cassiopeiae 4.87

Class Giant

VISIBILITY RIGHT NOW

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:

Right Ascension J2000 23h 47m 03s

Declination J2000 +58° 39’ 06”

Galactic Longitude 114.63°

Galactic Latitude -3.18°

Constellation 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.

Distance (parsec) 52.97 pc

Distance (light year) 172.67 ly

Heliocentric radial velocity -21 km/s

Proper Motion RA 0.061 arcsec/year

Proper Motion Dec 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.

Absolute magnitude 1.25

Spectral Type K1III

Color Index (B-V) 1.11

Temperature of τ Cassiopeiae 4493K

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

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

Alternative designations of τ Cassiopeiae

Bayer designation τ Cassiopeiae
(tau Cassiopeiae)

Flamsteed designation 5 Cassiopeiae

Henry Draper Catalogue HD223165

SAO Catalogue SAO35763

Hipparcos Catalogue HIP117301

Durchmusterung Catalogue BD+57 2804

FK5 Catalogue 3909

General Catalogue of Variable Stars 14707

Support us

In Evidence

Other stars in Cassiopeia