Blue-white main-sequence star · Libra
τ Librae
Also known as: τ Lib, HIP 76600
mag 3.7370 light-years
About
τ Librae is a blue-white main-sequence star of magnitude 3.7 in Libra, about 370 light-years away.
How to find it
- τ Librae is in the constellation Libra.
- Best evenings: around early July 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 50° 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.
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 | τ Librae (τ Lib) |
|---|---|
| Hipparcos number | HIP 76600 |
| Type | Blue-white main-sequence star |
| Spectral type | B2.5V |
| Colour | Blue-whiteB−V colour index −0.18 |
| Magnitude | 3.7The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 370 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1660. |
| Proper motion | 0.035″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Libra |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 15h 38m 39.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | −29° 46′ 40″ |
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →