Blue-white main-sequence star · Taurus
λ Tauri
Also known as: λ Tau, HIP 18724
mag 3.4480 light-years
About
λ Tauri is a blue-white main-sequence star of magnitude 3.4 in Taurus, about 480 light-years away.
How to find it
- λ Tauri 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 68° 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.
What you will see
- 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.
Facts
| Designation | λ Tauri (λ Tau) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 18724 |
| Type | Blue-white main-sequence star |
| Spectral type | B3V + A |
| Colour | WhiteB−V colour index −0.10 |
| Magnitude | 3.4The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 480 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1540. |
| Proper motion | 0.015″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Taurus |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 04h 00m 40.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +12° 29′ 25″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →