Star profile

Ain

Epsilon Tauri · Taurus

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

What is Ain

Ain is an orange class-K giant burning 146 light-years away in Taurus, part of the visual cluster of the Hyades though not physically bound to it. Its Arabic name means «the eye», and it represents the right eye of the bull in the old sky-drawing, beside reddish Aldebaran. It is one of the first stars around which an extrasolar giant planet was confirmed, which makes it more than a pretty point: a stellar gaze with company of its own.

Where it is and when to see it

Ain lies in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is December: the Sun sits at the opposite point of the sky and the star culminates around midnight. How high it climbs above the horizon depends on the latitude you watch from.

Find it on the sky map

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The signature wall

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A signature without a lock can be replaced by someone else's. The lock makes the signature permanent and lets you choose a symbolic name for the star, always shown next to the star's catalogue identifier. How the lock works

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Write my signature

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 Ain

Constellation: Taurus
Apparent magnitude: 3.53
Distance: 146.7 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 67.154° · Dec 19.180°
Catalogue: HIP 20889 · HD 28305

A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.

Other stars in Taurus

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

See all 144 stars in Taurus