Star profile
Tau Octans
Southern polar starWhat is Tau Octans
Tau Octantis belongs to the Octant, the constellation that wraps the south celestial pole; around that invisible point all the stars of the southern hemisphere wheel. An orange K-type giant about 486 light-years away, it shares the sky with the southern pole star yet outshines it on the charts that detail this region. To an observer in the deep south of the planet it seems almost still, riding high above the horizon, guarding the silent axis around which the entire universe appears to turn night after night.
Where it is and when to see it
Tau Octans lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is June, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it never rises above the horizon.
- From New York it never rises above the horizon.
- From Sydney it never sets and culminates about 36° up.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 3° N.
It ranks no. 17 in brightness among the 35 stars of Octans in our catalogue. To find it, start from Nu Octans, the brightest: it lies about 10° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 490 years ago.
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A public signature from a real person. The chosen name is a symbolic denomination within Stelvia, with no official standing or IAU recognition: the sky is not for sale and belongs to no one.
Astronomical data for Tau Octans
- Constellation
- Octans
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.50
- Distance
- 486.1 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 352.015° · Dec -87.482°
- Catalogue
- HIP 115836 · HD 219765
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Other stars in Octans
Octans has 35 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- Nu Octans3.73
- Beta Octans4.13
- Delta Octans4.31
- Iota Octans5.45
- Phi Octans5.47
- Psi Octans5.49
- Kappa Octans5.56
- Rho Octans5.57