Tau Orionis
Encyclopedia
Tau Orionis is a star
in the constellation
Orion
.
This star, along with β Eri
, λ Eri and ψ Eri were Al Kursiyy al Jauzah, "the Chair (or "Footstool") of the Central One"
According to the catalogue of stars in the Technical Memorandum 33-507 - A Reduced Star Catalog Containing 537 Named Stars, Al Kursiyy al Jauzah were the title for three stars :β Eri
as Cursa, ψ Eri as Al Kursiyy al Jauzah I and λ Eri as Al Kursiyy al Jauzah II (exclude this star)
In Chinese
, , meaning Jade Well
, refers to an asterism consisting of τ Orionis, β Eridani
, λ Eridani and ψ Eridani. Consequently, τ Orionis itself is known as . From this Chinese name, the name Yuh Tsing was appeared
of 3.59, meaning it is visible to the naked eye, and belongs to the spectral class
B5III. If an imaginary line is drawn north-west between the stars Rigel
and Mintaka, Tau Orionis can be found roughly one-sixth of the way to Mintaka.
(Starbox and map available in Portuguese, etc., see left.)
Hipparcos Catalog ID: 24674B
Other catalog entries: HD 34503
SAO: 131952
BD B-07 1028
Visual magnitde: 3.59
Spectral type: B5111
Distance: 555 LY
Position and motion (Epoch J1991.25) in 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....
Orion
Orion (constellation)
Orion, often referred to as The Hunter, is a prominent constellation located on the celestial equator and visible throughout the world. It is one of the most conspicuous, and most recognizable constellations in the night sky...
.
This star, along with β Eri
Beta Eridani
Beta Eridani is the second brightest star in the constellation of Eridanus, located in the northeast end of this constellation. It has the traditional names Cursa....
, λ Eri and ψ Eri were Al Kursiyy al Jauzah, "the Chair (or "Footstool") of the Central One"
According to the catalogue of stars in the Technical Memorandum 33-507 - A Reduced Star Catalog Containing 537 Named Stars, Al Kursiyy al Jauzah were the title for three stars :β Eri
Beta Eridani
Beta Eridani is the second brightest star in the constellation of Eridanus, located in the northeast end of this constellation. It has the traditional names Cursa....
as Cursa, ψ Eri as Al Kursiyy al Jauzah I and λ Eri as Al Kursiyy al Jauzah II (exclude this star)
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 Jade Well
Three Stars (Chinese constellation)
The Three Stars mansion is one of the twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the western mansions of the White Tiger. This collection of seven bright stars is visible during winter in the Northern Hemisphere .- Asterisms :...
, refers to an asterism consisting of τ Orionis, β Eridani
Beta Eridani
Beta Eridani is the second brightest star in the constellation of Eridanus, located in the northeast end of this constellation. It has the traditional names Cursa....
, λ Eridani and ψ Eridani. Consequently, τ Orionis itself is known as . From this Chinese name, the name Yuh Tsing was appeared
Properties
Tau Orionis has an apparent magnitudeApparent 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 3.59, meaning it is visible to the naked eye, and belongs to the spectral class
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...
B5III. If an imaginary line is drawn north-west between the stars Rigel
Rigel
Rigel is the brightest star in the constellation Orion and the sixth brightest star in the sky, with visual magnitude 0.18...
and Mintaka, Tau Orionis can be found roughly one-sixth of the way to Mintaka.
(Starbox and map available in Portuguese, etc., see left.)
Hipparcos Catalog ID: 24674B
Other catalog entries: HD 34503
SAO: 131952
BD B-07 1028
Visual magnitde: 3.59
Spectral type: B5111
Distance: 555 LY
Position and motion (Epoch J1991.25) in 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:...
: 05h 17m 08.28s - 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...
: -06° 50' 39.8"