Star profile

Tau Canis Majoris

Variable star

3D likeness based on its real data · class O · ~30,000 K

What is Tau Canis Majoris

Tau Canis Majoris is the burning heart of the open cluster NGC 2362, a grouping so young that many of its stars still live wrapped in shreds of their natal gas. It is one of the very few naked-eye type O stars, a titanic blue forge some 3 000 light-years away whose ultraviolet light sculpts its surroundings. It is also a multiple system of several components and exhibits subtle variations that remind us how burning faster means dying sooner.

Where it is and when to see it

Tau Canis Majoris lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is January, when it culminates around midnight.

From London it culminates about 14° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 24° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 81° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 65° N.

It ranks no. 17 in brightness among the 90 stars of Canis Major in our catalogue. To find it, start from Sirius, the brightest: it lies about 11° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 3,000 years ago.

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Astronomical data for Tau Canis Majoris

Constellation: Canis Major
Apparent magnitude: 4.37
Distance: 2992.7 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 109.677° · Dec -24.954°
Catalogue: HIP 35415 · HD 57061

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Other stars in Canis Major

Canis Major has 90 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 90 stars in Canis Major