Aldebaran A / B

Aldebaran (lower right) in the Bull's head is close to the Sun every year around May 31. Image File history File links Aldebaran close to the Sun every year around May 31. ... May 31 is the 151st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (152nd in leap years), with 214 days remaining. ... Photo by NASA SOHO C3.
Observation data Equinox J2000.0
Constellation	Taurus
Right ascension	04h 35m 55.2s
Declination	+16° 30' 33"
Apparent magnitude (V)	+0.85 / +13.50
Characteristics
Spectral type	K5III / M2V
U-B color index	1.90 / ?
B-V color index	1.54 / ?
Variable type	Suspected / ?
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)	+53.8 km/s
Proper motion (μ)	RA: 62.78 mas/yr Dec.: −189.36 mas/yr
Parallax (π)	50.09 ± 0.95 mas
Distance	65 ± 1 ly (20 ± 0.4 pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)	−0.63 / 11.98
Details
Mass	2.5 / 0.15 M☉
Radius	25 / 0.04 R☉
Luminosity	150 / 0.00014 L☉
Temperature	4,100 / 3,050 K
Metallicity	70% Sun / ?
Rotation
Age	years
Other designations
α Tauri, Parilicium, Cor Tauri, Paliliya, 87 Tauri, Gl 171.1A/B, GJ 9159 A/B, HR 1457, BD +16°629 A/B, HD 29139, GCTP 1014.00, LTT 11462, SAO 94027, FK5 168, GC 5605, ADS 3321 A/B, CCDM 04359+1631, Wo 9159 A/B, HIP 21421.
Database references
SIMBAD	data

Aldebaran from the Arabic (الدبران al-dabarān) meaning "the follower", (α Tau / α Tauri / Alpha Tauri) is the brightest star in the constellation Taurus and one of the brightest stars in the nighttime sky. Because of its location in the head of Taurus, it has historically been called the Bull's Eye. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an agency of the United States Government, responsible for that nations public space program. ... The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) is a spacecraft that was launched on 2 December 1995 to study the Sun, and began normal operations in May 1996. ... From the Glossary of Astronomical Terms by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics: Either of the two points (vernal, autumnal) on the celestial sphere where the ecliptic (which is the apparent path of the sun on the sky) intersects the celestial equator. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Julian epoch. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Taurus (IPA: , Latin: , symbol , ) is one of the constellations of the zodiac. ... Equatorial Coordinates Right ascension (abbrev. ... In astronomy, declination (abbrev. ... // Headline text HEY!! HOW ARE YOU ALL?? Its nice of you to come read this page. ... In astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of stars based initially on photospheric temperature and its associated spectral characteristics, and subsequently refined in terms of other characteristics. ... In astronomy, the color index is a simple numerical expression that determines the color of an object, which in the case of a star gives its temperature. ... In astronomy, the color index is a simple numerical expression that determines the color of an object, which in the case of a star gives its temperature. ... Most stars are of almost constant luminosity. ... Illustration of the use of optical wavelength interferometry to determine precise positions of stars. ... Radial velocity is the velocity of an object in the direction of the line of sight. ... kilometre per second is an SI derived unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector), signified by the symbol km/s or km s-1. ... The proper motion of a star is the motion of the position of the star in the sky (the change in direction in which we see it, as opposed to the radial velocity) after eliminating the improper motions of the stars, which affect their measured coordinates but are not real... A milliarcsecond (m, mas) , or a thoundsanth of an arcsecond. ... A year is the time between two recurrences of an event related to the orbit of the Earth around the Sun. ... A milliarcsecond (m, mas) , or a thoundsanth of an arcsecond. ... A year is the time between two recurrences of an event related to the orbit of the Earth around the Sun. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A milliarcsecond (m, mas) , or a thoundsanth of an arcsecond. ... Distance is a numerical description of how far apart things lie. ... A light-year or lightyear (symbol: ly) is a unit of measurement of length, specifically the distance light travels in vacuum in one Julian year. ... Stellar parallax motion The parsec (symbol pc) is a unit of length used in astronomy. ... In astronomy, absolute magnitude is the apparent magnitude, m, an object would have if it were at a standard luminosity distance away from us, in the absence of interstellar extinction. ... Unsolved problems in physics: What causes anything to have mass? The U.S. National Prototype Kilogram, which currently serves as the primary standard for measuring mass in the U.S. Mass is the property of a physical object that quantifies the amount of matter and energy it is equivalent to. ... In astronomy, the solar mass is a unit of mass used to express the mass of stars and larger objects such as galaxies. ... Remote Authentication Dial In User Service (RADIUS) is an AAA (authentication, authorization and accounting) protocol for applications such as network access or IP mobility. ... In astronomy, the solar radius is a unit of length used to express the size of stars and larger objects such as galaxies. ... Luminosity has different meanings in several different fields of science. ... The solar luminosity, , is a unit of luminosity (power emitted in the form of photons) conventionally used by astronomers to give the luminosities of stars. ... Fig. ... The Kelvin scale is a thermodynamic (absolute) temperature scale where absolute zero—the lowest possible temperature where nothing could be colder and no heat energy remains in a substance—is defined as zero kelvin (0 K). ... The globular cluster M80. ... A sphere rotating around its axis. ... This article is about the astronomical object. ... A year is the time between two recurrences of an event related to the orbit of the Earth around the Sun. ... In astronomy, many stars are referred to simply by catalogue numbers. ... In astronomy, many stars are referred to simply by catalogue numbers. ... In astronomy, many stars are referred to simply by catalogue numbers. ... In astronomy, many stars are referred to simply by catalogue numbers. ... In astronomy, many stars are referred to simply by catalogue numbers. ... The Henry Draper Catalogue is an astronomy catalogue with astrometric and spectroscopic data about more than 225,000 stars. ... In astronomy, many stars are referred to simply by catalogue numbers. ... In astronomy, many stars are referred to simply by catalogue numbers. ... Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Star Catalog contain the 258,996 stars. ... The Hipparcos and Tycho Catalogues (Tycho-1) are the primary products of the European Space Agencys astrometric mission, Hipparcos. ... SIMBAD (the Set of Identifications, Measurements, and Bibliography for Astronomical Data) is a database of astronomical information about objects within the Milky Way. ... Arabic ( or just ) is the largest living member of the Semitic language family in terms of speakers. ... Alpha (uppercase Α, lowercase α) is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. ... Taurus (IPA: , Latin: , symbol , ) is one of the constellations of the zodiac. ... Bright stars can be bright because they produce more light, because they are closer to us, or both. ...

Its name refers to the way the star follows the Pleiades star cluster in its nightly journey across the sky. Aldebaran has the appearance of being the brightest member of the more scattered Hyades cluster, which is the closest star cluster to Earth. However, it is merely located in the line of sight between the Earth and the Hyades, and is actually an independent star. The Pleiades are an open cluster dominated by hot blue stars surrounded by reflection nebulosity A shorter exposure shows less nebulosity. ... The Pleiades is one of the most famous open clusters. ... The Hyades (‘Υάδες) are an open star cluster located in the constellation Taurus. ...

It is known as 畢宿五 (Bìxiùwŭ, the Fifth Star of the Net) in Chinese.

Aldebaran is a K5 III star, which means it is orangish, large, and has moved off of the main sequence by using all its hydrogen fuel. It has a minor companion (a dim M2 dwarf orbiting at several hundred AU). Now primarily fusing helium, the main star has expanded to a diameter of approximately 5.3 × 10⁷ km, or about 38 times the diameter of the Sun. The Hipparcos satellite has measured it as 65.1 light years away, and it shines with 150 times the Sun's luminosity. Taken together this distance and brightness makes it the 14th brightest star, having an apparent magnitude of 0.87. It is slightly variable, of the irregular variable type, by about 0.2 magnitude. Hertzsprung-Russell diagram The main sequence of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram is the curve where the majority of stars are located in this diagram. ... General Name, Symbol, Number hydrogen, H, 1 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 1, 1, s Appearance colorless Atomic mass 1. ... The astronomical unit (AU or au or a. ... General Name, Symbol, Number helium, He, 2 Chemical series noble gases Group, Period, Block 18, 1, s Appearance colorless Atomic mass 4. ... To help compare different distances this page lists lengths starting at 1010 metres (10 million kilometres, 0. ... Scientific notation is a scheme for writing numbers that is often used by scientists and mathematicians to easily write large and small numbers. ... km redirects here. ... The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. ... Hipparcos (for High Precision Parallax Collecting Satellite) was an astrometry mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) dedicated to the measurement of stellar parallax and the proper motions of stars. ... A light-year or lightyear (symbol: ly) is a unit of measurement of length, specifically the distance light travels in vacuum in one Julian year. ... Bright stars can be bright because they produce more light, because they are closer to us, or both. ... // Headline text HEY!! HOW ARE YOU ALL?? Its nice of you to come read this page. ... An irregular variable is a type of variable star in which variations in brightness show no regular periodicity. ...

In 1997, a possible large planet (or small brown dwarf) companion was reported, with a mass equalling that of 11 Jupiters and orbiting at a distance of 1.35 AU. However, see below. This brown dwarf (smaller object) orbits the star Gliese 229, which is located in the constellation Lepus about 19 light years from Earth. ... Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 70 kPa Hydrogen ~86% Helium ~14% Methane 0. ...

Aldebaran is one of the easiest stars to find in the night sky, partly due to its brightness and partly due to its spatial relation to one of the more noticeable asterisms in the sky. If one follows the three stars of Orion's belt from left to right (in the Northern Hemisphere) or right to left (in the Southern), the first bright star found by continuing that line is Aldebaran. Amateur astronomy, often called back yard astronomy, is a hobby whose participants enjoy observing celestial objects. ... In astronomy, an asterism is a recognized pattern of stars seen in Earths sky which is neither an official constellation nor a true star cluster. ... Orion (IPA: ), a constellation often referred to as The Hunter, is a prominent constellation, perhaps the best-known and most conspicuous in the sky. ...

Size comparison between Aldebaran and the Sun

Radio scan of Aldebaran, brightness temperature measures at all frequencies

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Aldebaranrad. ... Image File history File links Aldebaranrad. ...

Radial velocity variations

In 1993, radial velocity measurements of Aldebaran A, Arcturus and Pollux showed that Aldebaran A exhibited a long-period radial velocity oscillation, which could be interpreted as a substellar companion with a minimum mass 11.4 times that of Jupiter in a 643-day orbit at a separation of 2.0 AU in an eccentric orbit (eccentricity 0.147) [1]. However, all three stars surveyed showed similar oscillations yielding similar companion masses, and the authors concluded that the variation was likely to be intrinsic to the star rather than due to the gravitational effect of a companion. 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Any planet is an extremely faint light source compared to its parent star. ... Two bodies with a slight difference in mass orbiting around a common barycenter. ... The semi-major axis of an ellipse In geometry, the term semi-major axis (also semimajor axis) is used to describe the dimensions of ellipses and hyperbolae. ... The astronomical unit (AU or au or a. ... (This page refers to eccitricity in astrodynamics. ... The orbital period is the time it takes a planet (or another object) to make one full orbit. ... Water, Rabbit, and Deer: three of the 20 day symbols in the Aztec calendar, from the Aztec Sun Stone. ... In astrodynamics, the longitude of the periapsis (symbolized ) of an orbiting body is the longitude (measured from the point of the vernal equinox) of periapsis (closest approach to the central body). ... A diagram of Keplerian orbital elements. ... A diagram of Keplerian orbital elements. ... The Julian day or Julian day number (JDN) is the (integer) number of days that have elapsed since Monday, January 1, 4713 BC in the proleptic Julian calendar [1]. That day is counted as Julian day zero. ... Unsolved problems in physics: What causes anything to have mass? The U.S. National Prototype Kilogram, which currently serves as the primary standard for measuring mass in the U.S. Mass is the property of a physical object that quantifies the amount of matter and energy it is equivalent to. ... Adjectives: Jovian Atmosphere Surface pressure: 20–200 kPa[4] (cloud layer) Composition: ~86% H2 ~13% Helium 0. ... Arcturus (α Boo / α Boötis / Alpha Boötis) (IPA: ) is the brightest star in the constellation Boötes, and the third brightest star in the night sky, with a visual magnitude of −0. ... Pollux (β Gem / β Geminorum / Beta Geminorum) is one of the brightest star in the constellation Gemini and one of the brightest stars in the nighttime sky. ... Adjectives: Jovian Atmosphere Surface pressure: 20–200 kPa[4] (cloud layer) Composition: ~86% H2 ~13% Helium 0. ... The astronomical unit (AU or au or a. ... In astrodynamics, under standard assumptions any orbit must be of conic section shape. ...

An analysis of the spectrum of Aldebaran A [2] did not show any variation correlated to the 643-day radial velocity oscillation, which would be expected if the cause was intrinsic. The best orbital solution was found to be around 653.8 days with an eccentricity of 0.182, and a lower mass limit of 11 Jupiter masses. The high value for the minimum mass means that it is likely that the object, if it exists, exceeds 13 Jupiter masses and is therefore a brown dwarf. However the possibility that the oscillation is due to a pulsation or combination of pulsations still exists, and as of 2006, this companion has not been confirmed. This brown dwarf (smaller object) orbits the star Gliese 229, which is located in the constellation Lepus about 19 light years from Earth. ... 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Aldebaran in mythology

For the Dakotas (a branch of the Native American Sioux tribe), Aldebaran took on a heroic aspect. The young star was the child of the sun and the lady Blue Star. One day he desired to hunt the white buffalo (the Pleiades). After he pulled up a sapling to make a spear, a hole was made in the ground and he could see all the people of earth down below. The white buffalo took this chance to push him through. He was found by an old woman and was to be known as Old Woman's Grandson. On earth he killed many strange monsters which had been troubling the Native Americans; one monster of which was a serpent that caused drought; he killed it releasing a great stream of water that became the Mississippi River. In time, Old Woman's Grandson remembered the white buffalo and returned to hunting him in the sky to fulfill his destiny. Native Americans are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska. ... Wahktageli (Gallant Warrior), a Yankton Sioux chief (Karl Bodmer) Funeral scaffold of a Sioux chief (Karl Bodmer) Horse racing of the Sioux Indians (Karl Bodmer) The Sioux (IPA ) are a Native American people. ... American Buffalo (technically Bison) are normally brown in color. ... The Pleiades are an open cluster dominated by hot blue stars surrounded by reflection nebulosity A shorter exposure shows less nebulosity. ... The Mississippi River, derived from the old Ojibwe word misi-ziibi meaning great river (gichi-ziibi big river at its headwaters), is the second-longest named river in North America, with a length of 2320 miles (3733 km) from Lake Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico. ...

For the Seris of northwestern Mexico, this star is providing light for the seven women giving birth (Pleiades). It has three different names: Hant Caalajc Ipápjö, Queeto, and Azoj Yeen oo Caap ("star that goes ahead"). The lunar month corresponding to October is called Queeto yaao "Aldebaran's path".^[1] The Seris are an indigenous group of the Mexican state of Sonora. ... The Pleiades are an open cluster dominated by hot blue stars surrounded by reflection nebulosity A shorter exposure shows less nebulosity. ...

In the religion of Stregheria, Aldebaran is a fallen angel and quarter guardian of the eastern gate. Ways of the Strega published in 1994, described Raven Grimassis view of Stregheria and popularized Italian-based religious witchcraft. ... It has been suggested that Evil Angels be merged into this article or section. ...

Aldebaran was thought to be a possible origin point for the Übermenschen in Nazi mysticism. The Rolling Stones refer to this star by name in the song "2,000 Light Years From Home". The title of this article contains the character Ãœ. Where it is unavailable or not desired, the name may be represented as Uebermensch. ... Nazi mysticism is a quasi-religious undercurrent of Nazism; it denotes the mixture of Nazism with occultism, esotericism, cryptohistory, and/or the paranormal — especially in the traditions of Germanic mysticism. ...

References

1. ^ Moser, Mary B.; Stephen A. Marlett (2005). Comcáac quih yaza quih hant ihíip hac: Diccionario seri-español-inglés (in Spanish and English). Hermosillo, Sonora and Mexico City: Universidad de Sonora and Plaza y Valdés Editores. 

See also

• Aldebaran in fiction
• Aldebaran in astrology
• Iota Draconis
• Pioneer 10

Aldebaran (Alpha Tauri) is a large, bright orange star in the constellation Taurus, which is frequently mentioned in stories of science fiction: Aldebaran is one of several stars mentioned in the Cthulhu Mythos, as somehow relating to the god Hastur. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Edasich (Hyaene) is the name of the star? Draconis (Iota Draconis). ... Pioneer 10 in the final stage of construction Pioneer 10 was the first spacecraft to travel through the asteroid belt, and was the first spacecraft to make direct observations of Jupiter. ...

External links

• Gl 171.1A. ARICNS. Retrieved on 14 November, 2005.
• Aldebaran 2. SolStation. Retrieved on 14 November, 2005.