Star profile

Kappa 2 Tauri

3D likeness based on its real data · class A · ~8,500 K

What is Kappa 2 Tauri

Kappa-2 Tauri does belong to the Hyades, that open V that draws the face of the Bull 148 light-years away. With its optical twin Kappa-1 it forms a familiar pair, yet the two are actually separated by six light-years within the cluster itself. White, of type A7 V, it spins at 191 km/s, almost three times faster than its neighbour, and lacks the dust disk orbiting its companion.

Where it is and when to see it

Kappa 2 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 61° 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. 63 in brightness among the 144 stars of Taurus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Aldebaran, the brightest: it lies about 6° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 150 years ago.

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Astronomical data for Kappa 2 Tauri

Constellation: Taurus
Apparent magnitude: 5.27
Distance: 148.1 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 66.354° · Dec 22.200°
Catalogue: HIP 20641 · HD 27946

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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