Star profile

Tau Sagittarii

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

What is Tau Sagittarii

Tau Sagittarii plays a discreet role in a famous region: it marks the eastern flank of the «Teapot», the asterism at the heart of the Archer that points straight to the centre of the Milky Way. Its orange light, that of a K-type giant, travels some 122 years to reach us. Astronomical memory keeps it through chance: in 1977 the Big Ear radio telescope was scanning nearby when it caught the enigmatic Wow! signal.

Where it is and when to see it

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

From London it culminates about 11° above the horizon.
From New York it culminates about 22° above the horizon.
From Sydney it culminates about 84° above the horizon.

It can be seen from anywhere south of 62° N.

It ranks no. 10 in brightness among the 117 stars of Sagittarius in our catalogue. To find it, start from Kaus Australis, the brightest: it lies about 11° 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 Sagittarii

Constellation: Sagittarius
Apparent magnitude: 3.32
Distance: 121.6 light years
Coordinates (J2000): RA 286.735° · Dec -27.670°
Catalogue: HIP 93864 · HD 177716

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Other stars in Sagittarius

Sagittarius has 117 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.

See all 117 stars in Sagittarius