Star profile

Tau Piscium

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

What is Tau Piscium

Another quiet orange star in Pisces, 169 light-years away, glowing at the end of the cord that in Greco-Roman myth ties the two fish during their flight from Typhon. It is a K-type giant, already swollen and cooled compared with the Sun; its light carries a warm tinge that stands out, on a truly dark night, against its whiter neighbours. Without fanfare it marks one of those secondary landmarks that articulate the scattered geometry of the longest and faintest of the zodiacal constellations.

Where it is and when to see it

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

From London it culminates about 69° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 79° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 26° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 60° S.

It ranks no. 14 in brightness among the 79 stars of Pisces in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alpherg, the brightest: it lies about 15° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 170 years ago.

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Astronomical data for Tau Piscium

Constellation: Pisces
Apparent magnitude: 4.51
Distance: 168.8 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 17.915° · Dec 30.090°
Catalogue: HIP 5586 · HD 7106

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

Other stars in Pisces

Pisces has 79 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 79 stars in Pisces