Star profile
Tau 3 Eridani
What is Tau 3 Eridani
Tau-3 Eridani rests just 89 light-years away, an almost familiar distance for a star visible to the naked eye. It is white, of A type, and forms part of the long procession that traces the river Eridanus meandering southward. One among many in a celestial watercourse —but its closeness makes it unusually sharp when the eye finds it.
Where it is and when to see it
Tau 3 Eridani lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is October, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it culminates about 15° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 26° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 80° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 66° N.
It ranks no. 18 in brightness among the 129 stars of Eridanus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Achernar, the brightest: it lies about 37° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 89 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 3 Eridani
- Constellation
- Eridanus
- Apparent magnitude
- 4.08
- Distance
- 88.6 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 45.598° · Dec -23.624°
- Catalogue
- HIP 14146 · HD 18978
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Other stars in Eridanus
Eridanus has 129 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- AchernarAlpha Eridani0.45
- CursaBeta Eridani2.78
- AcamarTheta 1 Eridani2.88
- Beemim3.97
- Mu Eridani4.01
- BeidOmicron 1 Eridani4.04
- Iota Eridani4.11
- HIP 178744.17