Kappa Tauri
Encyclopedia
Kappa Tauri is a star system
in the constellation
Taurus
and a member of the Hyades
open cluster
. It is approximately 153 light years
from Earth
.
The system is dominated by a visual double star
, κ¹ Tauri and κ² Tauri. κ¹ Tauri is a white A-type
subgiant with an apparent magnitude
of +4.21. κ² Tauri is a white A-type
main sequence dwarf
with an apparent magnitude
of +5.27. They are 5.8 arcminutes, or at least a quarter light year apart.
Between the two bright stars is a binary star
made up of two 9th magnitude stars, Kappa Tauri C and Kappa Tauri D, which are 5.3 arcseconds from each other and 183 arcseconds from κ¹ Tau. Two more 12th magnitude companions fill out the star system, Kappa Tauri E, which is 136 arcseconds from κ¹ Tau, and Kappa Tauri F, 340 arcseconds away from κ² Tau.
Star system
A star system or stellar system is a small number of stars which orbit each other, bound by gravitational attraction. A large number of stars bound by gravitation is generally called a star cluster or galaxy, although, broadly speaking, they are also star systems.-Binary star systems:A stellar...
in the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
Taurus
Taurus (constellation)
Taurus is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is a Latin word meaning 'bull', and its astrological symbol is a stylized bull's head:...
and a member of the Hyades
Hyades (star cluster)
The Hyades is the nearest open cluster to the Solar System and one of the best-studied of all star clusters. The Hipparcos satellite, the Hubble Space Telescope, and infrared color-magnitude diagram fitting have been used to establish a distance to the cluster's center of ~153 ly...
open cluster
Star cluster
Star clusters or star clouds are groups of stars. Two types of star clusters can be distinguished: globular clusters are tight groups of hundreds of thousands of very old stars which are gravitationally bound, while open clusters, more loosely clustered groups of stars, generally contain less than...
. It is approximately 153 light years
Light Years
Light Years is the seventh studio album by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. It was released on 25 September 2000 by Parlophone and Mushroom Records. The album's style was indicative of her return to "mainstream pop dance tunes"....
from Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
.
The system is dominated by a visual double star
Double star
In observational astronomy, a double star is a pair of stars that appear close to each other in the sky as seen from Earth when viewed through an optical telescope. This can happen either because the pair forms a binary star, i.e...
, κ¹ Tauri and κ² Tauri. κ¹ Tauri is a white A-type
Stellar classification
In astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of stars based on their spectral characteristics. The spectral class of a star is a designated class of a star describing the ionization of its chromosphere, what atomic excitations are most prominent in the light, giving an objective measure...
subgiant with an apparent magnitude
Apparent magnitude
The apparent magnitude of a celestial body is a measure of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, adjusted to the value it would have in the absence of the atmosphere...
of +4.21. κ² Tauri is a white A-type
Stellar classification
In astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of stars based on their spectral characteristics. The spectral class of a star is a designated class of a star describing the ionization of its chromosphere, what atomic excitations are most prominent in the light, giving an objective measure...
main sequence dwarf
Main sequence
The main sequence is a continuous and distinctive band of stars that appears on plots of stellar color versus brightness. These color-magnitude plots are known as Hertzsprung–Russell diagrams after their co-developers, Ejnar Hertzsprung and Henry Norris Russell...
with an apparent magnitude
Apparent magnitude
The apparent magnitude of a celestial body is a measure of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, adjusted to the value it would have in the absence of the atmosphere...
of +5.27. They are 5.8 arcminutes, or at least a quarter light year apart.
Between the two bright stars is a binary star
Binary star
A binary star is a star system consisting of two stars orbiting around their common center of mass. The brighter star is called the primary and the other is its companion star, comes, or secondary...
made up of two 9th magnitude stars, Kappa Tauri C and Kappa Tauri D, which are 5.3 arcseconds from each other and 183 arcseconds from κ¹ Tau. Two more 12th magnitude companions fill out the star system, Kappa Tauri E, which is 136 arcseconds from κ¹ Tau, and Kappa Tauri F, 340 arcseconds away from κ² Tau.