Tianguan - ζ Tauri (zeta Tauri)

Tianguan, also designated as ζ Tauri (zeta Tauri), is a variable and double giant star in the constellation of Taurus.

Tianguan visual magnitude is 3. Thanks to its high brightness, Tianguan is clearly visible when observed from locations with dark skyes, and should be also quite easily visible from light polluted areas.

The table below summarizes the key facts about Tianguan:

Color of Tianguan ⬤

Magnitude of Tianguan 3

Class Giant

VISIBILITY RIGHT NOW Tianguan - ζ Tauri (zeta Tauri) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. Altitude: 38°.

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of Tianguan

Tianguan 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 Tianguan are provided in the following table:

Right Ascension J2000 05h 37m 38s

Declination J2000 +21° 08’ 32”

Galactic Longitude 185.69°

Galactic Latitude -5.64°

Constellation Taurus

The simplified sky map below shows the position of Tianguan in the sky:

Finder chart Tianguan - ζ Tauri (zeta Tauri) star

Simplified finder chart for Tianguan - ζ Tauri (zeta Tauri).

Visibility of Tianguan from your location

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

Today's Tianguan - ζ Tauri (zeta Tauri) rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 68.9° RISE 10:04

Max altitude: 59.7° TRANSIT 17:58

Azimuth: 291.1° SET 1:56

RIGHT NOW Tianguan - ζ Tauri (zeta Tauri) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom

Digitized Sky Survey image of Tianguan

The image below is a photograph of Tianguan 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 Tianguan is 0 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.021 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.

Image of Tianguan - ζ Tauri (zeta Tauri) star

DSS2 image of Tianguan. The red arrow shows the motion of Tianguan during the next 10000 years (0.00 arcmin in Right Ascension and -3.50 arcmin in declination);

Distance of Tianguan from the Sun and relative movement

Tianguan is distant 416.88 light years from the Sun and it is moving far from the Sun at the speed of 20 kilometers per second.

Distance (parsec) 127.88 pc

Distance (light year) 416.88 ly

Heliocentric radial velocity 20 km/s

Proper Motion Dec -0.021 arcsec/year

Spectral properties of Tianguan

Tianguan belongs to spectral class B4 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.

Absolute magnitude -2.53

Spectral Type B4III

Color Index (B-V) -0.19

Temperature of Tianguan 13348K

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

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

Tianguan star system properties

Tianguan 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 Tianguan double sysyem:

Main star magnitude 3

Secondary star magnitude 5

Magnitude difference 2

Separation 0 arcsec

Alternative designations of Tianguan

Proper Name Tianguan

Bayer designation ζ Tauri
(zeta Tauri)

Flamsteed designation 123 Tauri

Henry Draper Catalogue HD37202

SAO Catalogue SAO77336

Hipparcos Catalogue HIP26451

Durchmusterung Catalogue BD+21 908

FK5 Catalogue 211

General Catalogue of Variable Stars Zet Tau

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