Orange giant · Eridanus

Angetenar

Also known as: τ² Eridani (τ² Eri), HIP 13288

mag 4.8190 light-years

About

Angetenar (τ² Eridani) is an orange giant of magnitude 4.8 in Eridanus, about 190 light-years away.

Angetenar is in the constellation Eridanus.
Best evenings: around mid-December 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 south of 59° N.

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.

EyesNeeds a dark sky away from city lights.
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	Angetenar
Designation	τ² Eridani (τ² Eri)
Hipparcos number	HIP 13288
Type	Orange giant
Spectral type	K0III
Colour	Pale orangeB−V colour index 0.91
Magnitude	4.8The smaller the number, the brighter.
Distance	190 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1840.
Proper motion	0.042″ per year across the sky
Constellation	Eridanus
Right ascension (J2000)	02h 51m 02.3s
Declination (J2000)	−21° 00′ 14″

Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →