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Aldebaran

Oculus Australis, Parilicium, Alpha Tauri, 87 Tauri

Orange giant in Taurus

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Proper Names	Aldebaran, Oculus Australis, Paralicium
Bayer Designation	Alpha Tauri
Flamsteed Number	87 Tauri
HR (BSC)	1457
HD	29139
Constellation	Taurus
Right Ascension	4h 35m 55s
Declination	+16° 30' 33"
Distance	67 light years 20 parsecs
Magnitude	Apparent: +1.0 Absolute: -0.6
Spectral Class	K5III Orange Giant
Planets in this system	Alpha Tauri b (Aldebaran b), gas giant (hot Jupiter) (unconfirmed)
Optimum Visibility	December
Notes	A vast giant star, more than forty times the diameter of the Sun, Aldebaran has appears to have a planetary system with at least one planet in orbit, designated Aldebaran b and belonging to the class known as 'hot Jupiters'.

Aldebaran is the unmistakable bright 'eye' in the face of Taurus the Bull. Most of the stars in this busy region belong to the cluster known as the Hyades, but orange Aldebaran does not: it is about 100 light years nearer to Earth than the stars of the Hyades cluster.

A prominent orange giant, the 'eye' of the constellation Taurus. Its name means 'the follower', because it follows the Pleiades across northern winter skies.

Orange Aldebaran, seen against the backdrop of the southern stars of the Hyades cluster. Aldebaran is not a member of the Hyades, but lies in the foreground on the same line of sight from Earth. Imagery provided by Aladin sky atlas

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