Orange giant · Taurus

Ain

Also known as: ε Tauri (ε Tau), HIP 20889

mag 3.5150 light-years

About

Ain (ε Tauri) is an orange giant of magnitude 3.5 in Taurus, about 150 light-years away.

Ain is in the constellation Taurus.
Best evenings: around mid-January it is highest at about 9 pm (10 pm in summer time); a month earlier, two hours later.
Where on Earth: it is seen well, at least 10° up, from north of 61° S.

When it rises and sets tonight, how high it climbs and how much the Moon gets in the way are worked out in your browser for your place.

EyesVisible from the suburbs on a clear night, but lost in bright city skies.
Binoculars (10×50)A sharp point; binoculars bring out its colour and the fainter stars around it.
Telescope (6–8 inch)Still a point of light at any magnification — stars are too far away to show a disc. Low in the sky, bright stars twinkle and flash colours.

Stars look the same in any instrument: brighter and sharper, but never bigger.

Proper name	Ain
Designation	ε Tauri (ε Tau)
Hipparcos number	HIP 20889
Type	Orange giant
Spectral type	K0III
Colour	Pale orangeB−V colour index 1.01
Magnitude	3.5The smaller the number, the brighter.
Distance	150 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1880.
Proper motion	0.11″ per year across the sky
Constellation	Taurus
Right ascension (J2000)	04h 28m 37.0s
Declination (J2000)	+19° 10′ 49″