Star profile
56 Tauri
Variable starWhat is 56 Tauri
56 Tauri sits within the Bull, some 326 light-years out, in a region dominated by the Pleiades and the Hyades. It is a white A-type variable star, its brightness shifting subtly to the rhythm of inner pulsations. The light reaching you tonight set out in the early 18th century —almost the moment Flamsteed himself was delivering his definitive catalogue to the world.
Where it is and when to see it
56 Tauri 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 60° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 71° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 34° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 68° S.
It ranks no. 70 in brightness among the 144 stars of Taurus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Aldebaran, the brightest: it lies about 7° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 330 years ago.
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Astronomical data for 56 Tauri
- Constellation
- Taurus
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.34
- Distance
- 326.2 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 64.903° · Dec 21.773°
- Catalogue
- HIP 20186 · HD 27309
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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
- 40 Tauri5.32
- HIP 215155.32
- 29 Tauri5.34
- HIP 189935.36
- 121 Tauri5.37