Tianguan

Its story

Tianguan, «the heavenly gate» in Chinese, is a variable blue B-class star in Taurus, near the bull's southern horn. Its name preserves the imperial astronomy that mapped the firmament as a celestial palace, complete with gates, halls and guards. Its brightness shifts slightly over time, and its light — set out some 445 years ago — was already on the move when Galileo first pointed his telescope at the night.