Alcyone (star)

Alcyone (star)
Alcyone in the Pleiades cluster (circled)
Observation data
Epoch J2000      Equinox J2000
Constellation Taurus
Right ascension 03h 47m 29.077s
Declination +24° 06 18.49
Apparent magnitude (V) 2.87
Characteristics
Spectral type B7IIIe
U−B color index −0.34
B−V color index −0.09
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)5.40 km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: 19.34±0.39 mas/yr
Dec.: −43.67±0.33 mas/yr
Parallax (π)8.09±0.42 mas
Distance136 pc
Absolute magnitude (MV)−2.62
Details
Mass5.9  6.1 M
Radius10.56 (equatorial)
8.0 (polar) R
Luminosity1,750±50 L
Surface gravity (log g)3.047 cgs
Temperature12,258 K
Rotational velocity (v sin i)149 km/s
Age70 Myr
Other designations
η Tau, 25 Tau, HR 1165, HD 23630, BD+23 541, FK5 139, HIP 17702, SAO 76199, GC 4541, BDS 1875, CCDM 03474+2407
Database references
SIMBADdata

Alcyone /ælˈsən/, is a blue-white giant star and the brightest star in the Pleiades open cluster. At apparent magnitude 2.87, it is also the third-brightest star in the Taurus constellation. The star has the Bayer designation Eta Tauri, Latinized from η Tauri and abbreviated Eta Tau or η Tau. It is about 440 light-years distant.