Star profile
Asterope
21 Tauri · Taurus
Hot blue starWhat is Asterope
Asterope is another of the Pleiades sisters, a hot blue star that yields its glow only to patient eyes on a moonless night. In Greek myth, the Pleiades were the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione pursued by Orion, and Asterope — «the star-faced one» — is among the most elusive. At 372 light-years, it pulses with that youthful white light of stars that have not yet lived even a small fraction of their lives.
Where it is and when to see it
Asterope 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 culminates about 63° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 74° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 32° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 65° S.
It ranks no. 117 in brightness among the 144 stars of Taurus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Aldebaran, the brightest: it lies about 14° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 370 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 Asterope
- Constellation
- Taurus
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.76
- Distance
- 371.9 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 56.477° · Dec 24.555°
- Catalogue
- HIP 17579 · HD 23432
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Other stars in Taurus
Taurus has 144 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- AldebaranAlpha Tauri0.87
- ElnathBeta Tauri1.65
- AlcyoneEta Tauri2.85
- 131 Tauri5.72
- HIP 218195.73
- 6 Tauri5.76
- HIP 202685.76
- 117 Tauri5.77