Star profile

Tau Persei

Variable star

3D likeness based on its real data · class G · ~5,500 K

What is Tau Persei

Tau Persei flickers at 254 light-years inside a constellation steeped in myth and tragedy. Its brightness varies subtly, hinting at a stellar system that hides more than it shows to the naked eye. The light arriving tonight in our autumn skies set out around the year 1772, when telescopes across Europe were only just beginning to unravel the close doubles hidden behind every faint twinkle.

Where it is and when to see it

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

From London it never sets and culminates about 89° up.
From New York it never sets and culminates about 78° up.
From Sydney it culminates about 3° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 37° S.

It ranks no. 12 in brightness among the 99 stars of Perseus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Mirfak, the brightest: it lies about 6° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 250 years ago.

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Astronomical data for Tau Persei

Constellation: Perseus
Apparent magnitude: 3.93
Distance: 254.2 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 43.564° · Dec 52.762°
Catalogue: HIP 13531 · HD 17878

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Other stars in Perseus

Perseus has 99 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 99 stars in Perseus