Coordinates: 03h 47m 29.0765s, +24° 06′ 18.

494″

Alcyone (star)
Alcyone /ælˈsaɪəniː/,[10] designated η Tauri (Eta Alcyone
Tauri, abbreviated Eta Tau, η Tau), is a multiple star
system in the constellation of Taurus. Approximately 440
light years from the Sun, it is the brightest star in the
Pleiades open cluster, which is a young cluster, around
100 million years old. There are a number of fainter stars
very close to Alcyone, all likely members of the same
cluster.

Contents
Alcyone in the Pleiades cluster (circled)
Nomenclature
Observation data
Star system
Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000
See also
Constellation Taurus
References
Right ascension 03h 47m 29.077s[1]
External links
Declination 24° 06′ 18.49″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V) 2.87[2]
Nomenclature Characteristics
Spectral type B5IIIe[3]
Eta Tauri is the star's Bayer designation. The name
Alcyone originates with Greek mythology; she is one of U−B color index −0.34[2]
the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione known as the B−V color index −0.09[2]
Pleiades. In 2016, the International Astronomical Union
Astrometry
organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN)[11]
to catalog and standardize proper names for stars. The Radial velocity (Rv ) 5.40[4] km/s
WGSN's first bulletin of July 2016[12] included a table of
Proper motion (μ) RA: 19.34 ±
the first two batches of names approved by the WGSN;
0.39[1] mas/yr
which included Alcyone for this star. It is now so entered
Dec.: -43.67 ±
in the IAU Catalog of Star Names.[13]
0.33[1] mas/yr
In Chinese, (Mǎo Xiù), meaning Hairy Head, refers Parallax (π) 8.09 ± 0.42[1] mas
to an asterism consisting Alcyone, Electra, Taygeta,
Distance 136[5] pc
Asterope, Maia, Merope and Atlas.[14] Consequently, the
Chinese name for Alcyone itself is (Mǎo Xiù liù), Absolute magnitude (MV ) -2.62[6]
"the Sixth Star of Hairy Head".[15]
Details

Star system Mass 5.9-6.1[7] M☉

Radius 9.3 ± 0.7[8] R☉
The Catalog of Components of Double and Multiple Stars Luminosity 2,030[9] L☉
lists three companions: B is 24 Tauri, a magnitude 6.28 A0
main sequence star 117" away; C is V647 Tauri, a δ Sct Surface gravity (log g) 3.047[3] cgs
variable star;[16] and D is a magnitude 9.15 F3 main Temperature 12,258[3] K
sequence star.[17] V647 Tau varies from magnitude +8.25 Rotational velocity 149[3] km/s
to +8.30 over 1.13 hours.[18] (v sin i)

The Washington Double Star Catalog lists a further four Other designations
companions, all fainter than 11th magnitude, and also
η Tau, 25 Tau, HR 1165, HD 23630,
describes component D as itself double with two nearly
BD+23 541, FK5 139, HIP 17702,
equal components separated by 0.30".[19]
SAO 76199, GC 4541, BDS 1875,
The main star, Alcyone A, consists of three components, CCDM 03474+2407
the brightest being a blue-white B-type giant similar to Database references
many of the other B-type stars in the Pleiades cluster. It has
an apparent magnitude of +2.87 (absolute magnitude = SIMBAD data (http://simba
−2.39), and a radius almost 10 times that of the Sun. Its d.u-strasbg.fr/simb
temperature is approximately 13,000 K giving it a total ad/sim-id?Ident=H
luminosity that is 2,400 times solar. The spectral type of D+23630)
B7IIIe indicates that emission lines are present in its
spectrum. Like many Be stars, Alcyone A has a high rotational velocity of 149 km/s, which has created a
gaseous disk flung into orbit around the star from its equator.

The closest companion has a very low mass and is less than 1 milli-arcsecond away, with a likely orbital
period just over four days. The other star is about half the mass of the giant and they are separated by 0.031
arcseconds, or about the distance from the Sun to Jupiter, orbiting in about 830 days.[20]

See also
Lists of stars in the constellation Taurus
White Tiger of The West
Class B Stars
Be stars
Shell star
Circumstellar disk

References
1. van Leeuwen, F. (2007). "Validation of the new Hipparcos reduction" (https://www.aanda.org/art
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664. arXiv:0708.1752 (https://arxiv.org/abs/0708.1752). Bibcode:2007A&A...474..653V (https://u
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i.org/10.1051%2F0004-6361%3A20078357). Vizier catalog entry (http://webviz.u-strasbg.fr/viz-
bin/VizieR-5?-out.add=.&-source=I/311/hip2&recno=17659)
2. Ducati, J. R. (2002). "VizieR Online Data Catalog: Catalogue of Stellar Photometry in
Johnson's 11-color system". CDS/ADC Collection of Electronic Catalogues. 2237.
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Matson, R.; Grundstrom, E. D.; Ten Brummelaar, T. A.; Goldfinger, P. J.; Sturmann, L.; Sturmann,
J.; Turner, N. H.; Farrington, C. (2013). "A CHARA Array Survey of Circumstellar Disks around
Nearby Be-type Stars". The Astrophysical Journal. 768 (2): 128. arXiv:1302.6135 (https://arxiv.o
rg/abs/1302.6135). Bibcode:2013ApJ...768..128T (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013ApJ...
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8%2F2%2F128).
 4. Gontcharov, G. A. (2006). "Pulkovo Compilation of Radial Velocities for 35 495 Hipparcos stars
in a common system". Astronomy Letters. 32 (11): 759. arXiv:1606.08053 (https://arxiv.org/abs/
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VLBI resolution of the Pleiades distance controversy". Science. 345 (6200): 1029–1032.
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6. Zhang, P.; Liu, C. Q.; Chen, P. S. (2006). "Absolute Magnitudes of Be Stars Based on
Hipparcos Parallaxes". Astrophysics and Space Science. 306 (3): 113.
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10. "Alcyone" (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Alcyone). Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
11. "IAU Working Group on Star Names (WGSN)" (https://www.iau.org/science/scientific_bodies/w
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12. "Bulletin of the IAU Working Group on Star Names, No. 1" (http://www.pas.rochester.edu/~ema
majek/WGSN/WGSN_bulletin1.pdf) (PDF). Retrieved 28 July 2016.
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External links
Jim Kaler's Stars, University of Illinois:ALCYONE (Eta Tauri) (http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/a
lcyone.html)
Alcyone and the Pleiades (http://www.alcyone.com/info.html#alcyone)

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