Star profile

Tau Cygni

Variable star

3D likeness based on its real data · class F · ~6,500 K

What is Tau Cygni

Tau Cygni pulses quietly, a gentle F-type variable just over sixty light-years away. The naked eye holds it as a steady point within the Swan's great cross, the bird that dives head-first toward the September horizon. Marginally hotter than the Sun, it is living a calm middle age, still far from the blazing finale of the giants.

Where it is and when to see it

Tau Cygni lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is September, when it culminates around midnight.

From London it culminates about 77° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 87° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 18° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 52° S.

It ranks no. 8 in brightness among the 137 stars of Cygnus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Deneb, the brightest: it lies about 10° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 66 years ago.

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Astronomical data for Tau Cygni

Constellation: Cygnus
Apparent magnitude: 3.74
Distance: 66.4 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 318.698° · Dec 38.045°
Catalogue: HIP 104887 · HD 202444

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Other stars in Cygnus

Cygnus has 137 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 137 stars in Cygnus