Tau Cancri

Tau Cancri

Observation data Epoch J2000.0      Equinox J2000.0 (ICRS)
Constellation	Cancer
Right ascension	Template:RA
Declination	Template:DEC
Apparent magnitude (V)	+5.42
Characteristics
Evolutionary stage	red clump
Spectral type	G8 III
U−B Template:Engvar	+0.57
B−V Template:Engvar	+0.89
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)	km/s
Proper motion (μ)	RA: −32.51 mas/yr Dec.: +2.79 mas/yr
Parallax (π)	11.92±0.39 mas
Distance	Template:Rnd ± Template:Rnd ly (Template:Rnd ± Template:Rnd pc)
Absolute magnitude (MV)	+0.81
Details
Mass	Template:Solar mass
Radius	Template:Solar radius
Luminosity	40 Template:Solar luminosity
Surface gravity (log g)	3.21 cgs
Temperature	5,153 K
Metallicity [Fe/H]	−0.06 dex
Rotational velocity (v sin i)	km/s
Age	Myr
Metallicity [Fe/H]	{{{metal_fe2}}} dex
Other designations
Template:Odlist
Database references
SIMBAD	data

Tau Cancri (τ Cancri) is a solitary, yellow-hued star in the zodiac constellation of Cancer. With an apparent visual magnitude of +5.42, it is faintly visible to the naked eye. Based upon an annual parallax shift of 11.92 mas as seen from Earth, it is located around 274 light-years from the Sun.

With an age of about 620 million years and a stellar classification of G8 III, this is a red-clump giant star, which indicates that it has evolved onto the horizontal branch and is generating energy through helium fusion at its core. It is a microvariable, showing a luminosity variation of 0.04 in magnitude. Tau Cancri has an estimated 2.4 times the mass of the Sun and 7.8 times the Sun's radius. The star radiates 40 times the solar luminosity from its photosphere at an effective temperature of .