Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 25, 2026

Tau Centauri

Tau Centauri is a solitary star in the southern constellation of Centaurus. Its name is a Bayer designation that is Latinized from τ Centauri, and abbreviated Tau Cen or τ Cen. This star is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of +3.86. The distance to this star, based upon an annual parallax shift of 24.3 mas, is 131 light years. It makes a star system with Gamma Centauri at 98% probability, both separated by 1.7 ly (0.53 pc).

Last revised
Jun 25, 2026
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τ Centauri
Location of τ Centauri (circled)
Observation data
Epoch J2000.0      Equinox J2000.0 (ICRS)
Constellation Centaurus1
Right ascension 12h 37m 42.164s2
Declination −48° 32′ 28.70″2
Apparent magnitude (V) +3.863
Characteristics
Spectral type A0 V4 or A1 IVnn5
U−B color index +0.043
B−V color index +0.063
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)+5.5±2.36 km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: −186.081 mas/yr2
Dec.: −6.757 mas/yr2
Parallax (π)24.2953±0.53 mas2
Distance134 ± 3 ly
(41.2 ± 0.9 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)+0.831
Details
Mass2.317 M☉
Radius2.78 R☉
Luminosity398 L☉
Surface gravity (log g)4.02±0.147 cgs
Temperature10,533±3587 K
Rotational velocity (v sin i)296.8±3.89 km/s
Age1327 Myr
Other designations
τ Cen, CD−47°7745, HD 109787, HIP 61622, HR 4802, SAO 22356010
Database references
SIMBADdata

Tau Centauri is a solitary11 star in the southern constellation of Centaurus. Its name is a Bayer designation that is Latinized from τ Centauri, and abbreviated Tau Cen or τ Cen. This star is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of +3.86.3 The distance to this star, based upon an annual parallax shift of 24.3 mas,2 is 131 light years. It makes a star system with Gamma Centauri at 98% probability, both separated by 1.7 ly (0.53 pc).12

This is an A-type star with stellar classifications of A0 V4 or A1 IVnn,5 indicating it may be a main sequence star or a more evolved subgiant star. It is around 132 million years old7 and is spinning rapidly with a projected rotational velocity of 296.8 km/s.9 This is giving the star an oblate shape, with an estimated equatorial girth that is 30% larger than the polar radius.13 The star has an estimated 2.3 times the mass of the Sun7 and 2.7 times the Sun's radius.8

References

References

  1. Anderson, E.; Francis, Ch. (2012), "XHIP: An extended hipparcos compilation", Astronomy Letters, 38 (5): 331, arXiv:1108.4971, Bibcode:2012AstL...38..331A, doi:10.1134/S1063773712050015. XHIP record for this object at VizieR.
  2. Vallenari, A.; et al. (Gaia collaboration) (2023), "Gaia Data Release 3. Summary of the content and survey properties", Astronomy and Astrophysics, 674: A1, arXiv:2208.00211, Bibcode:2023A&A...674A...1G, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202243940, S2CID 244398875. Gaia DR3 record for this source at VizieR.
  3. Mermilliod, J.-C. (1986), "Compilation of Eggen's UBV data, transformed to UBV (unpublished)", Catalogue of Eggen's UBV Data, SIMBAD Astronomical Database, Bibcode:1986EgUBV........0M.
  4. Lagrange, A.-M.; et al. (February 2009), "Extrasolar planets and brown dwarfs around A-F type stars. VI. High precision RV survey of early type dwarfs with HARPS", Astronomy and Astrophysics, 495 (1): 335–352, arXiv:0809.4636, Bibcode:2009A&A...495..335L, doi:10.1051/0004-6361:200810105, S2CID 62894956.
  5. Gray, R. O.; Garrison, R. F. (July 1989), "The late A-type stars - Refined MK classification, confrontation with Stromgren photometry, and the effects of rotation", Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 70 (4): 623–636, Bibcode:1989ApJS...70..623G, doi:10.1086/191349.
  6. de Bruijne, J. H. J.; Eilers, A.-C. (October 2012), "Radial velocities for the HIPPARCOS-Gaia Hundred-Thousand-Proper-Motion project", Astronomy & Astrophysics, 546: 14, arXiv:1208.3048, Bibcode:2012A&A...546A..61D, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201219219, S2CID 59451347, A61.
  7. David, Trevor J.; Hillenbrand, Lynne A. (2015), "The Ages of Early-Type Stars: Strömgren Photometric Methods Calibrated, Validated, Tested, and Applied to Hosts and Prospective Hosts of Directly Imaged Exoplanets", The Astrophysical Journal, 804 (2): 146, arXiv:1501.03154, Bibcode:2015ApJ...804..146D, doi:10.1088/0004-637X/804/2/146, S2CID 33401607.
  8. McDonald, I.; et al. (October 2017), "Fundamental parameters and infrared excesses of Tycho-Gaia stars", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 471 (1): 770–791, arXiv:1706.02208, Bibcode:2017MNRAS.471..770M, doi:10.1093/mnras/stx1433, ISSN 0035-8711.
  9. Díaz, C. G.; et al. (July 2011), "Accurate stellar rotational velocities using the Fourier transform of the cross correlation maximum", Astronomy & Astrophysics, 531: A143, arXiv:1012.4858, Bibcode:2011A&A...531A.143D, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201016386, S2CID 119286673.
  10. "tau Cen". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 2017-01-13.
  11. De Rosa, R. J.; et al. (January 2014), "The VAST Survey - III. The multiplicity of A-type stars within 75 pc", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 437 (2): 1216–1240, arXiv:1311.7141, Bibcode:2014MNRAS.437.1216D, doi:10.1093/mnras/stt1932, S2CID 88503488.
  12. Shaya, Ed J.; Olling, Rob P. (January 2011), "Very Wide Binaries and Other Comoving Stellar Companions: A Bayesian Analysis of the Hipparcos Catalogue", The Astrophysical Journal Supplement, 192 (1): 2, arXiv:1007.0425, Bibcode:2011ApJS..192....2S, doi:10.1088/0067-0049/192/1/2, S2CID 119226823
  13. Belle, G. T. (2012), "Interferometric observations of rapidly rotating stars", The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review, 20 (1): 51, arXiv:1204.2572, Bibcode:2012A&ARv..20...51V, doi:10.1007/s00159-012-0051-2, S2CID 119273474.