2MASS J04202144+2813491

2MASS J04202144+2813491

The disk, disk wind, jet and counter-jet of Tau 042021. The blue object on the left is a background galaxy.
Credit: NASA/ESA/CSA JWST+HST & Meli_thev
Observation data
Epoch J2000      Equinox J2000
Constellation Taurus
Right ascension 04h 20m 21.44s
Declination +28° 13 49.17
Apparent magnitude (V) 18.82 ±0.47
Characteristics
Evolutionary stage T Tauri star
Spectral type M1 ±2
Variable type variable nebula
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)7.4 km/s
Distance424 ly
(130 pc)
Details
Mass0.3–0.4 M
Luminosity0.85 L
Temperature3700 K
Ageapprox. 1–2 Myr
Other designations
HGBS J042021.4+281348, SSTtau 042021.4+281349, TIC 58366336, WISE J042021.44+281349.0, [LLQ2015] TMO 44
Database references
SIMBADdata

2MASS J04202144+2813491 (also known as Tau 042021) is an edge-on protoplanetary disk in the Taurus Molecular Cloud.

The star is hidden behind the edge-on disk. Early estimates found that it has a mass of 0.272 ±0.009 M, but a later study did find a higher mass of 0.3–0.4 M. The object is located on the western edge of the 130 parsec distant LDN 1495 cloud, which is part of the Taurus clouds. One study used CO emission to measure the radial velocity of the disk, which is similar to the radial velocity of the LDN 1495 cloud. The spectral type was measured to be M1 with the Hobby Eberly Telescope, making it a red dwarf. Emission lines from H-alpha and calcium are noted to be present in the spectrum. Ultraviolet excess is seen as an indicator for accretion. The star accretes at least 2x10−11 M/year of gas from its surrounding protoplanetary disk. This was measured from hydrogen recombination lines originating in accretion shocks.