Star profile
Chi Tauri
Hot blue starWhat is Chi Tauri
χ Tauri is a hot blue star in the field of the Bull, not far from the Hyades but unrelated to the cluster and much younger and more massive than its perspective neighbours. Its cold, electric light travels for nearly three centuries before reaching us. It shines in one of the regions of sky most densely charged with mythology, where the Pleiades and Aldebaran also stand.
Where it is and when to see it
Chi 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 64° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 75° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 30° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere north of 64° S.
It ranks no. 73 in brightness among the 144 stars of Taurus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Aldebaran, the brightest: it lies about 10° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 290 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 Chi Tauri
- Constellation
- Taurus
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.38
- Distance
- 291.2 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 65.646° · Dec 25.629°
- Catalogue
- HIP 20430 · HD 27638
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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
- 56 Tauri5.34
- HIP 189935.36
- 121 Tauri5.37
- HIP 216705.38
- 44 Tauri5.39