Star profile
Tau 4 Eridani
Variable starWhat is Tau 4 Eridani
Tau-4 Eridani follows the long course of the celestial river, a stream that meanders from the foot of Orion down into the southern skies. A red type M giant some 305 light-years away, its coppery light pulses with discreet variations that hint at a swelling atmosphere. It is one of many links in the chain of tau stars that articulate the current of Eridanus, the river that ancient cultures identified with the Po, the Nile, or the Euphrates depending on who looked up.
Where it is and when to see it
Tau 4 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 November: the Sun sits at the opposite point of the sky and the star culminates around midnight. How high it climbs above the horizon depends on the latitude you watch from.
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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 4 Eridani
- Constellation
- Eridanus
- Apparent magnitude
- 3.70
- Distance
- 304.6 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 49.879° · Dec -21.758°
- Catalogue
- HIP 15474 · HD 20720
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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
- Upsilon 4 Eridani3.55
- Phi Eridani3.56
- Chi Eridani3.69
- RanEpsilon Eridani3.72
- TheeminUpsilon 2 Eridani3.81