τ Ursae Majoris (tau Ursae Majoris)
τ Ursae Majoris is a multiple giant star in the constellation of Ursa Major.
τ Ursae Majoris visual magnitude is 4.67. Because of its moderate brightness, τ Ursae Majoris 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 Ursae Majoris:
Celestial coordinates and finder chart of τ Ursae Majoris
τ Ursae Majoris is situated close to the northern celestial pole and, as such, it is visible for most part of the year from the northern hemisphere. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of τ Ursae Majoris are provided in the following table:
The simplified sky map below shows the position of τ Ursae Majoris in the sky:
Visibility of τ Ursae Majoris from your location
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
τ Ursae Majoris (tau Ursae Majoris) is circumpolar and transits at 09:12 UTC (altitude: 78.0°)
Digitized Sky Survey image of τ Ursae Majoris
The image below is a photograph of τ Ursae Majoris 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 Ursae Majoris is 0.098 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.056 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 1000 years is represented with the red arrow.
Distance of τ Ursae Majoris from the Sun and relative movement
τ Ursae Majoris is distant 121.69 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 9 kilometers per second.
Spectral properties of τ Ursae Majoris
τ Ursae Majoris belongs to spectral class F3 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.
The red dot in the diagram below shows where τ Ursae Majoris is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.
τ Ursae Majoris star system properties
τ Ursae Majoris 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 Ursae Majoris double sysyem: