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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: 7:50  
clear_day Transit: 11:50  
SunsetSet: 15:49 south
sleep NighttimeWhat's Visible Now?
All Constellations » Hydra » 

τ2 Hydrae (tau2 Hydrae)

Altitude: -28.9°   Azimuth: 49.1°   Direction: North-East

τ2 Hydrae is a main-sequence star in the constellation of Hydra.

τ2 Hydrae visual magnitude is 4.57. Because of its moderate brightness, τ2 Hydrae 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 τ2 Hydrae:

4.57
Main-sequence

τ2 Hydrae (tau2 Hydrae) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: -28.9°
Azimuth: 49.1°
Direction: North-East

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of τ2 Hydrae

τ2 Hydrae is situated close to the celestial equator, as such, it is at least partly visible from both hemispheres in certain times of the year. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of τ2 Hydrae are provided in the following table:

09h 31m 58s
-01° 11’ 06”
235.15°
34.34°
Hydra

The simplified sky map below shows the position of τ2 Hydrae in the sky:

Finder chart τ2 Hydrae (tau2 Hydrae) star
Simplified finder chart for τ2 Hydrae (tau2 Hydrae).

Visibility of τ2 Hydrae from your location

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

Today's τ2 Hydrae (tau2 Hydrae) rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 91.2°
Max altitude: 37.3°
Azimuth: 268.8°

Digitized Sky Survey image of τ2 Hydrae

The image below is a photograph of τ2 Hydrae 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 τ2 Hydrae is -0.012 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.011 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of τ2 Hydrae (tau2 Hydrae) star
DSS2 image of τ2 Hydrae. The red arrow shows the motion of τ2 Hydrae during the next 10000 years (-2.00 arcmin in Right Ascension and -1.83 arcmin in declination);

Distance of τ2 Hydrae from the Sun and relative movement

τ2 Hydrae is distant 458.51 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 6 kilometers per second.

140.65 pc
458.51 ly
6 km/s
-0.012 arcsec/year
-0.011 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of τ2 Hydrae

τ2 Hydrae belongs to spectral class A3 and has a luminosity class of V corresponding to a main-sequence star.

-1.17
A3V
9028K

The red dot in the diagram below shows where τ2 Hydrae is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.

HR Diagram
H-R diagram showing the position of τ2 Hydrae. Attribution: Richard Powell / CC BY-SA

Alternative designations of τ2 Hydrae

τ2 Hydrae
(tau2 Hydrae)
SAO136932
SAO136932