Star profile

Tau Coronae Borealis

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

What is Tau Coronae Borealis

Tau Coronae Borealis is an orange star at 117 light-years, set in the diadem Dionysus placed among the stars. Its warm tone comes from a surface cooler than the Sun's, typical of giants and subgiants already past their prime. It belongs to the modest yet perfectly drawn arc of the Northern Crown, which rises each spring and slips away without fanfare.

Where it is and when to see it

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

From London it culminates about 75° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 86° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 20° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere north of 54° S.

It ranks no. 8 in brightness among the 26 stars of Corona Borealis in our catalogue. To find it, start from Alphecca, the brightest: it lies about 12° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).

The light you see today left it about 120 years ago.

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Astronomical data for Tau Coronae Borealis

Constellation: Corona Borealis
Apparent magnitude: 4.73
Distance: 116.7 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 242.243° · Dec 36.491°
Catalogue: HIP 79119 · HD 145328

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Other stars in Corona Borealis

Corona Borealis has 26 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 26 stars in Corona Borealis