Star
Tau Ceti
Yellow star · G8V
Cetus
Shown in its true colour — like most stars, it is too far away to photograph as more than a point of light.
Tau Ceti is a single star in the constellation Cetus. Its name is a Bayer designation. Spectrally, this star is similar to the Sun, although it has only about 78% of the Sun's mass. At a distance of just under 12 light-years from the Solar System, it is a relatively nearby star and the closest solitary G-type star. The star appears stable, with little stellar variation, and is metal-deficient relative to the Sun.
Description from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
In your sky
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Key facts
Distance
~11.9 light-years
Apparent mag.
+3.49
Spectral type
G8V
Luminosity
0.5 × Sun
Absolute mag.
+5.68
Catalogue
HIP 8102
Spectral type
G8V
True colour from its B–V index (0.73): a surface around 5500 K.
Did you know
- Its spectral type G8V marks it as a yellow star.
- It lies in the constellation Cetus.
