Tau Ceti

E31702

Tau Ceti is a nearby Sun-like star in the constellation Cetus, notable for its stability, potential planetary system, and historical importance as an early target in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form As subject As object
τ Ceti 0 1

Statements (51)

Predicate Object
instanceOf G-type star
astronomical object
main-sequence star
single star
age_Gyr about 5.8
older than the Sun
apparentMagnitudeV 3.50
BayerDesignation Tau Ceti self-linksurface differs
surface form: "τ Ceti"
colorIndexB−V 0.72
constellation Cetus
culturalRole frequent setting in science fiction
debrisDiskDustContent more massive than Solar System’s Kuiper Belt
debrisDiskType cold debris disk
declination −15° 56′ 15″
distanceFromEarth_ly about 11.9 light-years
distanceFromEarth_pc about 3.65 parsecs
effectiveTemperature_K about 5340
FlamsteedDesignation 52 Ceti
habitableZoneCandidates Tau Ceti e
Tau Ceti f
hasCandidateExoplanets true
hasCandidatePlanet Tau Ceti e
Tau Ceti f
hasDebrisDisk true
isSETITarget true
luminosity_solar about 0.52
mass_solar about 0.78
metallicity_Fe_H about −0.5
notableFor Sun-like properties
early target in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence
high long-term stability
proximity to the Solar System
numberOfReportedPlanetCandidates up to 5
parallax_mas about 273 milliarcseconds
planetarySystemStatus candidates not yet universally confirmed
planetDetectionMethod radial velocity
properMotionDec_mas_yr +854
properMotionRA_mas_yr +−1721
radialVelocity_km_s about −16.6
radius_solar about 0.79
rightAscension 01h 44m 04s
rotationPeriod_days about 34
solarAnalogStatus Sun-like star
spectralType G8.5V
stellarClass G-type main-sequence
suspectedPlanetarySystem true
variability low stellar activity
photometrically stable
visibleFrom both hemispheres
wasObservedBy Project Ozma
surface form: "Project Ozma II"

various SETI programs

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Tau Ceti BayerDesignation Tau Ceti self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: "τ Ceti"
Project Ozma targetStar Tau Ceti