Aldebaran
Where is Aldebaran?
Look south, about 55° up at 04:33 in Taurus.
- Rises
- 21:07
- Highest
- 04:38
- Sets
- 12:13
- Best after dark
- 04:33 · 55°
Can I see Aldebaran tonight?
From London tonight, Aldebaran is above the horizon after dark. It’s highest after dark at 04:33, in the south at 55°.
At magnitude 0.9 it is one of the brighter points in the sky, easy to see by eye when it’s clear.
This is position and timing only: clouds, haze and light pollution aren’t included.
What does Aldebaran look like?
Aldebaran looks orange-red to the eye. Its spectral type is K5III: orange giant (cooler than the Sun).
Eyes
A bright orange star at the tip of a V of fainter stars.
Binoculars
Aldebaran and the Hyades fill the field, one of the finest binocular views.
Telescope
A bright orange point. The Hyades are too spread out for most telescopes; use low power or binoculars.
About Aldebaran
Aldebaran is the bright orange eye of Taurus, the Bull. It is an orange giant about 65 light-years away, many times wider than the Sun.
It appears to sit among the V-shaped Hyades star cluster, but that is a coincidence of line of sight. The Hyades are more than twice as far away.
Aldebaran lies close to the ecliptic, so the Moon sometimes passes in front of it, an event called an occultation. Its name comes from the Arabic for “the follower”, because it seems to follow the Pleiades across the sky.
Aldebaran is about 45 times wider than the Sun, with a surface cooler than the Sun’s, which gives it its orange color. It varies very slightly in brightness.
The Pioneer 10 spacecraft is heading in the general direction of Aldebaran, but it would take about two million years to get there.
Together with Regulus, Antares and Fomalhaut, it is one of the four “royal stars” of ancient Persian tradition.
Aldebaran in Taurus
Questions
Is Aldebaran part of the Hyades?
Does the Moon pass in front of Aldebaran?
Sources: SkyMate; Wikidata (CC0). Positions computed for your place and time with astronomy-engine. Data & Licences