How to see it
Tau Cen has a visual magnitude of about 3.85: under a reasonably dark sky it is typically reachable with the unaided eye.
Sky position
Equatorial coordinates for Tau Cen: right ascension 12h 37m 42s, declination −48° 32′ 29″ (J2000), in the region of the Centaurus constellation (IAU figure Cen).
Catalog context
Tau Cen. It appears in classical and modern catalogs as HIP 61622, HD 109787, Gaia DR3 6127688772460862976. In the SkyKeepsake Centaurus (Cen) browse hub it sits with other stars of the same IAU figure.
Catalog identifiers
- Gaia
- Gaia DR3 6127688772460862976
- HIP
- 61622
- HD
- 109787
- gaia_dr3
- 6127688772460862976
- Bayer / Flamsteed
- Tau Cen
Observed properties
- Visual magnitude
- 3.85