Star profile
Tau 2 Aquarii
What is Tau 2 Aquarii
Tau-2 Aquarii belongs to the scattered company of stars that sketch the celestial Water Bearer, a figure linked to the Babylonian flood and to the release of the waters across the sky. At 318 light-years, this orange K-type giant moves through the late phase of its life, swollen and cooled from the heat of its youth. It accompanies in the southern sky the mythical jug that Aquarius empties toward the mouth of Piscis Austrinus.
Where it is and when to see it
Tau 2 Aquarii lies in the southern 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 25° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 36° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 70° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 76° N.
It ranks no. 11 in brightness among the 99 stars of Aquarius in our catalogue. To find it, start from Sadalsuud, the brightest: it lies about 21° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 320 years ago.
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Astronomical data for Tau 2 Aquarii
- Constellation
- Aquarius
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.05
- Distance
- 317.6 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 342.398° · Dec -13.593°
- Catalogue
- HIP 112716 · HD 216032
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Other stars in Aquarius
Aquarius has 99 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- SadalsuudBeta Aquarii2.90
- SadalmelikAlpha Aquarii2.95
- SkatDelta Aquarii3.27
- SadachbiaGamma Aquarii3.86
- 98 Aquarii3.96
- Eta Aquarii4.04
- AnchaTheta Aquarii4.17
- Phi Aquarii4.22