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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 » Ursa Major » 

τ Ursae Majoris (tau Ursae Majoris)

Altitude: 34.4°   Azimuth: 331.8°   Direction: North-North-West

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 skies, while it can be barely visible, or not visible at all, from skies affected by light pollution.

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.

Image of τ Ursae Majoris (tau Ursae Majoris) star
DSS2 image of τ Ursae Majoris. The red arrow shows the motion of τ Ursae Majoris during the next 1000 years (1.63 arcmin in Right Ascension and -0.93 arcmin in declination);

Key facts about τ Ursae Majoris

4.67
Giant

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

Altitude: 34.4°
Azimuth: 331.8°
Direction: North-North-West

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:

09h 10m 55s
+63° 30’ 48”
151.21°
39.42°
Ursa Major

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

Finder chart τ Ursae Majoris (tau Ursae Majoris) star
Simplified finder chart for τ Ursae Majoris (tau Ursae Majoris).

Visibility of τ Ursae Majoris from your location

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

τ Ursae Majoris (tau Ursae Majoris) is circumpolar and transits at 21:19 UTC (altitude: 78.0°)

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.

37.33 pc
121.69 ly
-9 km/s
0.098 arcsec/year
-0.056 arcsec/year

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.

1.81
F3III
7158K

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

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

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:

4.67
10.87
6.2
57.2 arcsec

Alternative designations of τ Ursae Majoris

τ Ursae Majoris
(tau Ursae Majoris)
14 Ursae Majoris
SAO14796
SAO14796