Tau Piscium
|
| Observation data Epoch J2000.0 Equinox J2000.0 | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pisces |
| Right ascension | 01h 11m 39.59s |
| Declination | +30° 05' 23.0" |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | +4.51 |
| Distance | 162 ly (50 pc) |
| Spectral type | K0III-IV... |
| Other designations | |
Tau Piscium (Tau Psc, τ Piscium, τ Psc) is an orange K-type giant with an apparent magnitude of +4.51. It is approximately 162 light years from Earth.
Tau Piscium is moving through the Galaxy at a speed of 40.5 km/s relative to the Sun. Its projected Galactic orbit carries it between 23,900 and 40,900 light years from the center of the Galaxy.[1]
Tau Piscium came closest to the Sun 1.1 million years ago when it had brightened to magnitude 2.97 from a distance of 83 light years.[1]
Naming
In Chinese, 奎宿 (Kuí Sù), meaning Legs (asterism), refers to an asterism consisting of refers to an asterism consisting of τ Piscium, η Andromedae, 65 Piscium, ζ Andromedae, ε Andromedae, δ Andromedae, π Andromedae, ν Andromedae, μ Andromedae, β Andromedae, σ Piscium, 91 Piscium, υ Piscium, φ Piscium, χ Piscium and ψ¹ Piscium. Consequently, τ Piscium itself is known as 奎宿十一 (Kuí Sù shíyī, English: the Eleventh Star of Legs.)[2]