Star profile

Phi Tauri

3D likeness based on its real data · class K · ~4,200 K

What is Phi Tauri

Phi Tauri burns 321 light-years away, an orange K-type giant slipping in among the young blue stars that dominate Taurus. It shares the field of the Hyades only by perspective —in truth it lies far beyond the open cluster, separated from it by hundreds of light-years of cosmic depth. Its warm hue stands in quiet contrast to the youthfulness of the stars that flank it on the sky.

Where it is and when to see it

Phi 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 66° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 77° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 29° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 63° S.

It ranks no. 48 in brightness among the 144 stars of Taurus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Aldebaran, the brightest: it lies about 11° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 320 years ago.

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Astronomical data for Phi Tauri

Constellation: Taurus
Apparent magnitude: 4.97
Distance: 321.1 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 65.088° · Dec 27.351°
Catalogue: HIP 20250 · HD 27382

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Other stars in Taurus

Taurus has 144 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 144 stars in Taurus