Tau2 Eridani
Encyclopedia
Tau2 Eridani is a star
in the constellation
Eridanus (constellation)
. It is one of a series of stars that share the Bayer designation
Tau Eridani
. It has the traditional name Angetenar (Arabic
"bend of the river").
In Chinese
, , meaning Celestial Meadows
, refers to an asterism consisting of τ2 Eridani, γ Eridani
, π Eridani, δ Eridani
, ε Eridani
, ζ Eridani, η Eridani
, π Ceti
, τ1 Eridani, τ3 Eridani, τ4 Eridani
, τ5 Eridani, τ6 Eridani, τ7 Eridani, τ8 Eridani and τ9 Eridani. Consequently, τ2 Eridani itself is known as
K0III and has apparent magnitude
+4.75. It is approximately 182 light years from Earth
.
Coordinates (J2000):
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
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....
Eridanus (constellation)
Eridanus (constellation)
Eridanus is a constellation. It is represented as a river; its name is the Ancient Greek name for the Po River. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations. It is the sixth largest of the modern...
. It is one of a series of stars that share the Bayer designation
Bayer designation
A Bayer designation is a stellar designation in which a specific star is identified by a Greek letter, followed by the genitive form of its parent constellation's Latin name...
Tau Eridani
Tau Eridani
Tau Eridani is a group of fairly widely scattered stars in the constellation Eridanus.They form an exception to the general rule that stars that share the same Bayer designation are close together: τ1 is nearly 20° away from τ9 .* τ1 Eri * τ2 Eri * τ3 Eri Tau Eridani (τ...
. It has the traditional name Angetenar (Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
"bend of the river").
In Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, , meaning Celestial Meadows
Hairy Head (Chinese constellation)
The Hairy Head mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the western mansions of the White Tiger.This mansion corresponds to the Pleiades in English.-Asterisms:...
, refers to an asterism consisting of τ2 Eridani, γ Eridani
Gamma Eridani
Gamma Eridani is a star in the constellation Eridanus. It has the traditional name Zaurak, which means "the boat."In Chinese, , meaning Celestial Meadows, refers to an asterism consisting of γ Eridani, δ Eridani, π Eridani, ε Eridani, ζ Eridani , η Eridani, π Ceti, τ1 Eridani, τ2 Eridani, τ3...
, π Eridani, δ Eridani
Delta Eridani
Delta Eridani is a 3.54 magnitude star in the constellation of Eridanus. It is also called Rana. The name Rana means "the frog" in Latin...
, ε Eridani
Epsilon Eridani
Epsilon Eridani is a star in the southern constellation Eridanus, along a declination 9.46° south of the celestial equator. This allows the star to be viewed from most of the Earth's surface. At a distance of 10.5 light years , it has an apparent magnitude of 3.73...
, ζ Eridani, η Eridani
Eta Eridani
Eta Eridani is a star in the constellation Eridanus. It has the traditional name Azha . The word Azha is a corruption of Persian آشيانه āšiyāne The nest...
, π Ceti
Pi Ceti
Pi Ceti is a Class B7, fourth-magnitude star in the constellation Cetus. Pi Ceti is a blue main-sequence star located about 440 light-years from Earth.-Name:...
, τ1 Eridani, τ3 Eridani, τ4 Eridani
Tau4 Eridani
Tau4 Eridani is a Class M3.5III, fourth-magnitude star in the constellation Eridanus. Tau4 Eridani is a binary star system consisting primarily of Class M components, the brightest component being a Class M giant of apparent magnitude 3.66, having a mass and luminosity many times greater than that...
, τ5 Eridani, τ6 Eridani, τ7 Eridani, τ8 Eridani and τ9 Eridani. Consequently, τ2 Eridani itself is known as
Structure
Tau2 Eridani belongs to spectral classStellar 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...
K0III and has 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...
+4.75. It is approximately 182 light years 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...
.
Coordinates (J2000):
- Right ascensionRight ascensionRight ascension is the astronomical term for one of the two coordinates of a point on the celestial sphere when using the equatorial coordinate system. The other coordinate is the declination.-Explanation:...
: 2h51m02.30s - DeclinationDeclinationIn astronomy, declination is one of the two coordinates of the equatorial coordinate system, the other being either right ascension or hour angle. Declination in astronomy is comparable to geographic latitude, but projected onto the celestial sphere. Declination is measured in degrees north and...
: −21°00'15.0"