Your Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 4:44  
clear_day Transit: 12:57  
SunsetSet: 21:11 south
wb_twilight Astronomical TwilightWhat's Visible Now
All Constellations » Serpens » 

τ6 Serpentis (tau6 Serpentis)

Altitude: 44.7°   Azimuth: 231.6°   Direction: South-West

τ6 Serpentis is a giant star in the constellation of Serpens.

τ6 Serpentis visual magnitude is 6.01. Because of its reltive faintness, τ6 Serpentis should be visible only from locations with dark skyes, while it is not visible at all from skyes affected by light pollution.

The table below summarizes the key facts about τ6 Serpentis:

6.01
Giant

τ6 Serpentis (tau6 Serpentis) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 44.7°
Azimuth: 231.6°
Direction: South-West

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of τ6 Serpentis

τ6 Serpentis 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 τ6 Serpentis are provided in the following table:

15h 40m 59s
+16° 01’ 28”
26.07°
49.26°
Serpens

The simplified sky map below shows the position of τ6 Serpentis in the sky:

Finder chart τ6 Serpentis (tau6 Serpentis) star
Simplified finder chart for τ6 Serpentis (tau6 Serpentis).

Visibility of τ6 Serpentis 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 τ6 Serpentis (tau6 Serpentis) 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: 74.0°
Max altitude: 54.5°
Azimuth: 286.0°
τ6 Serpentis (tau6 Serpentis) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom

Digitized Sky Survey image of τ6 Serpentis

The image below is a photograph of τ6 Serpentis 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 τ6 Serpentis is 0.028 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.013 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of τ6 Serpentis (tau6 Serpentis) star
DSS2 image of τ6 Serpentis. The red arrow shows the motion of τ6 Serpentis during the next 10000 years (4.67 arcmin in Right Ascension and -2.17 arcmin in declination);

Distance of τ6 Serpentis from the Sun and relative movement

τ6 Serpentis is distant 450.28 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 3 kilometers per second.

138.12 pc
450.28 ly
3 km/s
0.028 arcsec/year
-0.013 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of τ6 Serpentis

τ6 Serpentis belongs to spectral class G8 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

0.31
G8III
4996K

The red dot in the diagram below shows where τ6 Serpentis is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.

HR Diagram
H-R diagram showing the position of τ6 Serpentis. Attribution: Richard Powell / CC BY-SA

Alternative designations of τ6 Serpentis

τ6 Serpentis
(tau6 Serpentis)
19 Serpentis
SAO101678
SAO101678