τ Aurigae (tau Aurigae)
τ Aurigae is a multiple giant star in the constellation of Auriga.
τ Aurigae visual magnitude is 4.52. Because of its moderate brightness, τ Aurigae 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 Aurigae is -0.025 arcsec per year in Right Ascension and -0.022 arcsec per year in Declination and the associated displacement for the next 10000 years is represented with the red arrow.
Key facts about τ Aurigae
τ Aurigae (tau Aurigae) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
Altitude: 16.3°
Azimuth: 46.4°
Direction: North-East
Celestial coordinates and finder chart of τ Aurigae
τ Aurigae is situated north of the celestial equator, as such, it is more easily visible from the northern hemisphere. Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox as well as galactic coordinates of τ Aurigae are provided in the following table:
The simplified sky map below shows the position of τ Aurigae in the sky:
Visibility of τ Aurigae from your location
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
τ Aurigae (tau Aurigae) is circumpolar and transits at 14:17 UTC (altitude: 77.7°)
Distance of τ Aurigae from the Sun and relative movement
τ Aurigae is distant 212.52 light years from the Sun and it is moving towards the Sun at the speed of 20 kilometers per second.
Spectral properties of τ Aurigae
τ Aurigae belongs to spectral class G8 and has a luminosity class of III corresponding to a giant star.
The red dot in the diagram below shows where τ Aurigae is situated in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.
τ Aurigae star system properties
τ Aurigae 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 Aurigae double sysyem: