Blue-white giant · Taurus

Alcyone

Also known as: η Tauri (η Tau), HIP 17702

mag 2.9400 light-years

About

Alcyone (η Tauri) is a blue-white giant of magnitude 2.9 in Taurus, about 400 light-years away.

Alcyone is in the constellation Taurus.
Best evenings: around early 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 56° 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.

EyesEasy, even from town.
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	Alcyone
Designation	η Tauri (η Tau)
Hipparcos number	HIP 17702
Type	Blue-white giant
Spectral type	B7III
Colour	WhiteB−V colour index −0.09
Magnitude	2.9The smaller the number, the brighter.
Distance	400 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1620.
Proper motion	0.047″ per year across the sky
Constellation	Taurus
Right ascension (J2000)	03h 47m 29.1s
Declination (J2000)	+24° 06′ 18″