Aldebaran

Aldebaran (Arabic: الدَّبَرَان, lit. 'The Follower') is a star in the zodiac constellation of Taurus. It has the Bayer designation α Tauri, which is Latinized to Alpha Tauri and abbreviated Alpha Tau or α Tau. Aldebaran varies in brightness from an apparent visual magnitude of 0.75 down to 0.95, making it the brightest star in the constellation, as well as (typically) the fourteenth-brightest star in the night sky. It is at a distance of approximately 67 light-years. The star lies along the line of sight to the nearby Hyades cluster, but is unrelated and much older than the young cluster.

Aldebaran is a red giant, meaning that it is cooler than the Sun with a surface temperature of 3,900 K, but its radius is about 45 times the Sun's, so it is over 400 times as luminous. As a giant star, it has moved off the main sequence on the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram after depleting its supply of hydrogen in the core. The star spins slowly and takes 520 days to complete a rotation.

Together with the star Alpha Tauri B (Aldebaran B), it makes a star system with an orbital separation of at least 680 astronomical units, or 680 times the average distance from Earth to the Sun. The companion has an apparent magnitude of 13.21, hence is 80,000 to 96,000 times fainter than Aldebaran.

## Contents

* 1 Etymology
* 2 Observation
* 3 Observational history
* 4 Physical characteristics
* 5 Companion
* 6 Visual companions
* 7 Planets
* 8 Etymology and mythology
* 8.1 Mythology
* 8.2 Names in other languages
* 8.3 In modern culture
* 9 See also
* 10 Notes
* 11 References
* 12 External links

## Etymology

Aldebaran is the brightest star in the constellation of Taurus (center).

The traditional name Aldebaran derives from the Arabic al Dabarān (الدبران), meaning 'the follower', because it seems to follow the Pleiades.[1][2] In 2016, the International Astronomical Union Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) approved the proper name Aldebaran for this star.[3][4]

Aldebaran is the brightest star in the constellation Taurus, with the Bayer designation α Tauri, Latinised as Alpha Tauri. It has the Flamsteed designation 87 Tauri as the 87th star in the constellation of approximately 7th magnitude or brighter, ordered by right ascension. It also has the Bright Star Catalogue number 1457, the HD number 29139, and the Hipparcos catalogue number 21421, mostly seen in scientific publications.

It is a variable star listed in the General Catalogue of Variable Stars, but it is listed using its Bayer designation and does not have a separate variable star designation.[5]

Aldebaran and several nearby stars are included in double star catalogues such as the Washington Double Star Catalog as WDS 04359+1631 and the Aitken Double Star Catalogue as ADS 3321\. It was included with an 11th-magnitude companion as a double star as H IV 66 in the Herschel Catalogue of Double Stars and Σ II 2 in the Struve Double Star Catalog, and together with a 14th-magnitude star as β 550 in the Burnham Double Star Catalogue.[6][7]

## Observation

Aldebaran in the Hyades

Aldebaran is one of the easiest stars to find in the night sky, partly due to its brightness and partly due to being near one of the more noticeable asterisms in the sky. Following the three stars of Orion's belt in the direction opposite to Sirius, the first bright star encountered is Aldebaran.[8] It is best seen at midnight between late November and early December.

The star is, by chance, in the line of sight between the Earth and the Hyades, so it has the appearance of being the brightest member of the open cluster, but the cluster that forms the bull's-head-shaped asterism is more than twice as far away, at about 150 light years.[9]

Aldebaran is 5.47 degrees south of the ecliptic and so can be occulted by the Moon. Such occultations occur when the Moon's ascending node is near the autumnal equinox.[10] A series of 49 occultations occurred starting on 29 January 2015 and ending at 3 September 2018.[11] Each event was visible from points in the northern hemisphere or close to the equator. People further south, in Australia or Southern Africa for example, can never observe occultations of Aldebaran because of parallax. The change in position of the Moon relative to the stars due to the effect of parallax means that Aldebaran is too far south of the ecliptic for occultations to be observed. A reasonably accurate estimate for the diameter of Aldebaran was obtained during the occultation of 22 September 1978.[12] In the 2020s, Aldebaran is in conjunction in ecliptic longitude with the sun around May 30 of each year.[13]

With a near-infrared J band magnitude of −2.1, only Betelgeuse (−2.9), R Doradus (−2.6), and Arcturus (−2.2) are brighter at that wavelength.[14]

## Observational history

Occultation of Aldebaran by the Moon. Aldebaran is the red dot to the right, barely visible in the thumbnail.

On 11 March AD 509, a lunar occultation of Aldebaran was observed in Athens.[15] English astronomer Edmund Halley studied the timing of this event, and in 1718 concluded that Aldebaran must have changed position since that time, moving several minutes of arc further to the north. This, as well as observations of the changing positions of stars Sirius and Arcturus, led to the discovery of proper motion. Based on present day observations, the position of Aldebaran has shifted 7′ in the last 2000 years; roughly a quarter the diameter of the full moon.[16][17] Due to precession of the equinoxes, 5,000 years ago the vernal equinox was close to Aldebaran.[18] Between 420,000 and 210,000 years ago, Aldebaran was the brightest star in the night sky,[19] peaking in brightness 320,000 years ago with an apparent magnitude of −1.54.[19]

English astronomer William Herschel discovered a faint companion to Aldebaran in 1782;[20] an 11th-magnitude star at an angular separation of 117″. This star was shown to be itself a close double star by S. W. Burnham in 1888, and he discovered an additional 14th-magnitude companion at an angular separation of 31″. Follow-on measurements of proper motion showed that Herschel's companion was diverging from Aldebaran, and hence they were not physically connected. However, the companion discovered by Burnham had almost exactly the same proper motion as Aldebaran, suggesting that the two formed a wide binary star system.[21]

Working at his private observatory in Tulse Hill, England, in 1864 William Huggins performed the first studies of the spectrum of Aldebaran, where he was able to identify the lines of nine elements, including iron, sodium, calcium, and magnesium. In 1886, Edward C. Pickering at the Harvard College Observatory used a photographic plate to capture fifty absorption lines in the spectrum of Aldebaran. This became part of the Draper Catalogue, published in 1890. By 1887, the photographic technique had improved to the point that it was possible to measure a star's radial velocity from the amount of Doppler shift in the spectrum. By this means, the recession velocity of Aldebaran was estimated as 30 miles per second (48 km/s), using measurements performed at Potsdam Observatory by Hermann C. Vogel and his assistant Julius Scheiner.[22]

Aldebaran was observed using an interferometer attached to the Hooker Telescope at the Mount Wilson Observatory in 1921 in order to measure its angular diameter, but it was not resolved in these observations.[23]

The extensive history of observations of Aldebaran led to it being included in the list of 33 stars chosen as benchmarks for the Gaia mission to calibrate derived stellar parameters.[24] It had previously been used to calibrate instruments on board the Hubble Space Telescope.[25]

## Physical characteristics

Size comparison between Aldebaran and the Sun

Aldebaran is listed as the spectral standard for type K5+ III stars.[26] Its spectrum shows that it is a giant star that has evolved off the main sequence band of the HR diagram after exhausting the hydrogen at its core. The collapse of the center of the star into a degenerate helium core has ignited a shell of hydrogen outside the core and Aldebaran is now on the red giant branch (RGB).[27]

The effective temperature of Aldebaran's photosphere is 3,900 K. It has a surface gravity of 1.45 cgs, typical for a giant star, but around 35 times lower than the Earth's and nearly a thousand times lower than the Sun's. Its metallicity is about half the Sun's.

Measurements by the Hipparcos satellite and other sources put Aldebaran around 65.3 light-years (20.0 parsecs) away.[28] Asteroseismology has determined that it is about 16% more massive than the Sun, yet it shines with 439 times the Sun's luminosity due to the expanded radius. It is 45.1 times the diameter of the Sun, approximately 63 million kilometres. The angular diameter of Aldebaran has been measured many times. The value adopted as part of the Gaia benchmark calibration is 20.580±0.030 mas.[25]

Aldebaran is a slightly variable star, assigned to the slow irregular type LB. The General Catalogue of Variable Stars indicates variation between apparent magnitude 0.75 and 0.95 from historical reports.[5] Modern studies show a smaller amplitude, with some showing almost no variation.[29] Hipparcos photometry shows an amplitude of only about 0.02 magnitudes and a possible period around 18 days.[30] Intensive ground-based photometry showed variations of up to 0.03 magnitudes and a possible period around 91 days.[29] Analysis of observations over a much longer period still find a total amplitude likely to be less than 0.1 magnitudes, and the variation is considered to be irregular.[31]

The photosphere shows abundances of carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen that suggest the giant has gone through its first dredge-up stage—a normal step in the evolution of a star into a red giant during which material from deep within the star is brought up to the surface by convection.[32] With its slow rotation, Aldebaran lacks a dynamo needed to generate a corona and hence is not a source of hard X-ray emission. However, small scale magnetic fields may still be present in the lower atmosphere, resulting from convection turbulence near the surface. The measured strength of the magnetic field on Aldebaran is 0.22 G.[33] Any resulting soft X-ray emissions from this region may be attenuated by the chromosphere, although ultraviolet emission has been detected in the spectrum.[34] The star is currently losing mass at a rate of (1–1.6)×10−11 M☉/yr (about one Earth mass in 300,000 years) with a velocity of 30 km/s.[32] This stellar wind may be generated by the weak magnetic fields in the lower atmosphere.[34]

Beyond the chromosphere of Aldebaran is an extended molecular outer atmosphere (MOLsphere) where the temperature is cool enough for molecules of gas to form. This region lies at about 2.5 times the radius of the star and has a temperature of about 1,500 K. The spectrum reveals lines of carbon monoxide, water, and titanium oxide.[32] Outside the MOLSphere, the stellar wind continues to expand until it reaches the termination shock boundary with the hot, ionized interstellar medium that dominates the Local Bubble, forming a roughly spherical astrosphere with a radius of around 1000 au, centered on Aldebaran.[35]

## Companion

Measurements by the Gaia spacecraft have identified a proper motion companion to Aldebaran - a star sharing a similar distance and relative motion, which are seen as hints for a physical association between the components.[36] As of 2024[update], it has an angular separation of 33" from Aldebaran along a position angle of 117°. At its distance, the angular separation implies a physical projected separation of 680 astronomical units.[37]

The companion star, named Alpha Tauri B[37] or Aldebaran B,[36] has an apparent magnitude of 13.2,[38] which is 80,000 to 96,000 times fainter than Aldebaran.[lower-alpha 1] It is also much smaller than Aldebaran, with a radius 0.35 times that of the Sun and a mass 0.400 times that of the Sun.[39] A spectral type of M2.5 has been published for the star.[38]

## Visual companions

Four further stars at least as bright as B appear close to Aldebaran in the sky. These double star components were given upper-case Latin letter designations more or less in the order of their discovery, with the letter A reserved for the primary star. Some characteristics of these components, including their position relative to Aldebaran, are shown in the table.

WDS 04359+1631 catalogue entry[7] α Tau  | Apparent
magnitude | Angular
separation (″)  | Position
angle (°)  | Year  | Parallax (mas)

|
|
|
|
|

C  | 11.30  | 129.50  | 32  | 2011  | 19.1267±0.4274[40]
D  | 13.70  | N/A  | N/A  | N/A  | N/A
E  | 12.00  | 36.10  | 323  | 2000  |
F  | 13.60  | 255.70  | 121  | 2000  | 0.1626±0.0369[41]

Alpha Tauri CD is a binary system with the C and D component stars gravitationally bound to and co-orbiting each other. These co-orbiting stars have been shown to be located far beyond Aldebaran and are members of the Hyades star cluster. As with the rest of the stars in the cluster they do not physically interact with Aldebaran in any way.[20]

## Planets

In 1993 radial velocity measurements of Aldebaran, Arcturus and Pollux showed that Aldebaran exhibited a long-period radial velocity oscillation, which could be interpreted as a substellar companion. The measurements for Aldebaran implied a companion with a minimum mass 11.4 times that of Jupiter in a 643-day orbit at a separation of 2.0 AU (300 Gm) in a mildly eccentric orbit. However, all three stars surveyed showed similar oscillations yielding similar companion masses, and the authors concluded that the variation was likely to be intrinsic to the star rather than due to the gravitational effect of a companion.[42]

In 2015 a study led by Artie P. Hatzes showed stable long-term evidence for both a planetary companion and stellar activity.[43] An asteroseismic analysis of the residuals to the planet fit has determined that Aldebaran b has a minimum mass of 5.8±0.7 Jupiter masses, and that when the star was on the main sequence it would have given this planet Earth-like levels of illumination and therefore, potentially, temperature. This would have placed it and any of its moons in the habitable zone.[44] However, a follow-up study in 2019 found that additional data weaken the evidence for a planetary companion.[45] A two-planet solution fits the data better but would be unstable; the more likely explanation is that the radial velocity variations are caused by intrinsic stellar oscillations that mimic a planetary companion, as observed in Gamma Draconis[45] and 42 Draconis.[46][47] Based on the 2019 study, some subsequent studies of planet candidates around giant stars consider Aldebaran b doubtful or disproven,[48][49] including a 2025 paper with Hatzes as the lead author.[47]

The Aldebaran planetary system[43] Companion
(in order from star) | Mass | Semimajor axis
(AU) | Orbital period
(days) | Eccentricity | Inclination | Radius

|
|
|
|
|
|

b (dubious) | ≥5.8±0.7 MJ | 1.46±0.27 | 628.96±0.9 | 0.1±0.05 | —  | —

## Etymology and mythology

Aldebaran was originally نَيِّر اَلدَّبَرَان (Nayyir al-Dabarān in Arabic), meaning 'the bright one of the follower', since it follows the Pleiades; in fact, the Arabs sometimes also applied‍ the name al-Dabarān to the Hyades as a whole.[50] A variety of transliterated spellings have been used, with the current Aldebaran becoming standard relatively recently.[2]

### Mythology

This easily seen and striking star in its suggestive asterism is a popular subject for ancient and modern myths.

* Mexican culture: For the Seris of northwestern Mexico, this star provides light for the seven women giving birth (Pleiades). It has three names: Hant Caalajc Ipápjö, Queeto, and Azoj Yeen oo Caap ('star that goes ahead'). The lunar month corresponding to October is called Queeto yaao 'Aldebaran's path'.[51]
* Australian Aboriginal culture: amongst indigenous people of the Clarence River, in north-eastern New South Wales, this star is the ancestor Karambal, who stole another man's wife. The woman's husband tracked him down and burned the tree in which he was hiding. It is believed that he rose to the sky as smoke and became the star Aldebaran.[52]
* Persian culture: Aldebaran is considered one of the 4 "royal stars".[53]

### Names in other languages

* Aside from al-Dabarān, other traditional Arabic names are ʽAin al-Thaur, the eye of Taurus, and al-Fanīq, the large or male camel, with the Hyades being al-Qilāṣ, the small camels.[50]
* In Hindu astronomy, it is identified as the lunar station Rohini, the red one.[54] In Hindu mythology, Rohini is one of the twenty-seven daughters of the sage-king Daksha and Asikni, and the favourite wife of the moon god, Chandra.
* In Persian, it was known as Tascheter.[2]
* The Ancient Greek name Λαμπαδίας Lampadias, literally 'torch-like' or 'torch-bearer', was used in Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos.[55]
* A Latin name is Palilicium (or Parilicium), so called because this star disappeared in twilight around the time of Parilia, the feast of Pales on April 21.[2] This name appeared in Flamsteed and Bode's star catalogues.[50] Another Latin name, used in the medieval Alfonsine Tables, was Cor Tauri, the heart of the bull.[2]
* In Chinese astronomy, 畢宿 (Bì Xiù), meaning 'Net', refers to an asterism consisting of Aldebaran, ε Tauri, δ3 Tauri, δ1 Tauri, γ Tauri, 71 Tauri and λ Tauri.[56] Consequently, the Chinese name for Aldebaran itself is 畢宿五 (Bì Xiù wǔ), 'the Fifth Star of Net'.[57]
* In Hawaiian, the star is named Kapuahi.[58]
* In Biblical Hebrew, עָשׁ (ʿāš) in Job 9:9 and עַ֫יִשׁ (ʿayiš) in Job 38:32 have been identified with it and translated accordingly in English versions such as NJPS and REB.[59]

### In modern culture

Italian frigate Aldebaran (F 590)

As the brightest star in a Zodiac constellation, it is given great significance within astrology.[60]

Irish singer and composer Enya has a piece released on her eponymous album in 1986, which lyricist Roma Ryan titled Aldebaran after the star in Taurus.

The name Aldebaran or Alpha Tauri has been adopted many times, including

* Aldebaran Rock in Antarctica
* United States Navy stores ship Engineering:USS Aldebaran (AF-10) and Italian frigate Aldebaran (F 590)
* proposed micro-satellite launch vehicle Aldebaran
* French company Aldebaran Robotics
* Fashion brand AlphaTauri
* Formula 1 team Scuderia AlphaTauri, active from 2020 to 2023, previously known as Toro Rosso
* One of the chariot race horses owned by Sheikh Ilderim in the movie Ben-Hur

The star also appears in works of fiction such as Far from the Madding Crowd (1874) and Down and Out in Paris and London (1933). It is frequently seen in science fiction, including the Lensman series (1948–1954), Fallen Dragon (2001) and passingly in Kim Stanley Robinson's "Blue Mars" (1996). Aldebaran is associated with Hastur, also known as The King in Yellow, in the horror stories of Robert W. Chambers.[61]

In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode 'Relics', Montgomery Scott and Captain Jean-Luc Picard drink "Aldebaran whisky".

One of poet and amateur astronomer George Sterling's most critically-praised poems is his sonnet "Aldebaran at Dusk." Sterling also features Aldebaran in his long astronomical poem "The Testimony of the Suns" and mentions the red giant in "A Wine of Wizardry".

Aldebaran regularly features in conspiracy theories as one of the origins of extraterrestrial aliens,[62] often linked to Nazi UFOs.[63] A well-known example is the German conspiracy theorist Axel Stoll, who considered the star the home of the Aryan race and the target of expeditions by the Wehrmacht.[64]

The planetary exploration probe Pioneer 10 is no longer powered or in contact with Earth, but its trajectory is taking it in the general direction of Aldebaran. It is expected to make its closest approach in about two million years.[65]

The Austrian chemist Carl Auer von Welsbach proposed the name aldebaranium (chemical symbol Ad) for a rare earth element that he (among others) had found. Today, it is called ytterbium (symbol Yb).[66][67][68]

## See also

* Lists of stars
* List of brightest stars
* List of nearest bright stars
* Historical brightest stars
* Taurus (Chinese astronomy)

## Notes

1. ↑ Calculated with 1005(m2−m1).

## References

1. ↑ Falkner, David E. (2011). "The Winter Constellations". The Mythology of the Night Sky. Patrick Moore's Practical Astronomy Series. pp. 19–56. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-0137-7_3. ISBN 978-1-4614-0136-0. https://archive.org/details/mythologynightsk00falk.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Allen, R.H. (1963). Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning (Reprint ed.). New York, NY: Dover Publications Inc.. pp. 385. ISBN ((978-0-486-21079-7)). Also available online here
3. ↑ "IAU Catalog of Star Names". http://www.pas.rochester.edu/~emamajek/WGSN/IAU-CSN.txt.
4. ↑ "IAU Working Group on Star Names (WGSN)". https://www.iau.org/science/scientific_bodies/working_groups/280/.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Query= alf Tau". General Catalogue of Variable Stars. Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg. http://www.sai.msu.su/gcvs/cgi-bin/search.cgi?search=alf+Tau.
6. ↑ Burnham, S.W. (1900). "A General Catalogue of the Double Stars discovered by S. W. Burnham from 1871 to 1899, arranged in order of Right Ascension.". Publications of the Yerkes Observatory 1: 59–60. Bibcode: 1900PYerO...1....1B.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Mason, B. D. et al. (2014). "The Washington Visual Double Star Catalog". The Astronomical Journal 122 (6): 3466–3471. doi:10.1086/323920. Bibcode: 2001AJ....122.3466M.
8. ↑ Terence Dickinson (1998). NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe. Firefly Books. pp. 56–. ISBN 978-1-55209-302-3. https://books.google.com/books?id=BaMBgoKPmjAC&pg=PA56. Retrieved 2019-05-09.
9. ↑ Ian Ridpath (28 May 2003). The Monthly Sky Guide. Cambridge University Press. pp. 55–. ISBN 978-1-139-43719-6. https://books.google.com/books?id=UFQIutJ8GSsC&pg=PA55. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
10. ↑ Joe Rao (2015-09-04). "The Moon Hits a Cosmic Bull's Eye Tonight: How to See It". https://www.space.com/30467-moon-hits-aldebaran-star-bulls-eye-tonight.html.
11. ↑ Können, G. P.; Meeus, J. (1972). "Occultation series of five stars". Journal of the British Astronomical Association 82: 431. Bibcode: 1972JBAA...82..431K.
12. ↑ White, N. M. (June 1979). "Lunar occultation of the Hyades and diameters of Alpha Tauri and Theta-1 Tauri". The Astronomical Journal 84: 872–876. doi:10.1086/112489. Bibcode: 1979AJ.....84..872W.
13. ↑ Star Maps created using XEphem (2008). "Star Maps". Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph Experiment (LASCO, part of SOHO, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory). https://solohi.nrl.navy.mil/index.php?p=sky/starmap. Photo from 2011 and from 2012 (with Venus and Mercury)
14. ↑ Cutri, Roc M.; Skrutskie, Michael F.; Van Dyk, Schuyler D.; Beichman, Charles A.; Carpenter, John M.; Chester, Thomas; Cambresy, Laurent; Evans, Tracey E. et al. (2003). "VizieR Online Data Catalog: 2MASS All-Sky Catalog of Point Sources (Cutri+ 2003)". CDS/ADC Collection of Electronic Catalogues 2246: II/246. Bibcode: 2003yCat.2246....0C. http://vizier.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/VizieR?-source=II/246. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
15. ↑ Lynn, W. T. (1885). "Occultation of Aldebaran in the sixth century. – Bliss, Astronomer Royal". The Observatory 8: 86. Bibcode: 1885Obs.....8...86L.
16. ↑ Halley, Edmund (1717). "Considerations on the Change of the Latitudes of Some of the Principal Fixt Stars. By Edmund Halley, R. S. Sec". Philosophical Transactions 30 (351–363): 736–738. doi:10.1098/rstl.1717.0025. Bibcode: 1717RSPT...30..736H. https://archive.org/details/jstor-103320.
17. ↑ Burnham, Robert (1978). Burnham's Celestial Handbook: An Observer's Guide to the Universe Beyond the Solar System. 3. Courier Corporation. p. 1810. ISBN 978-0486236735. https://books.google.com/books?id=tBQoCSRdLAAC&pg=PA1810. Retrieved 2015-07-20.
18. ↑ Freedman, Immanuel (2015). "The Marduk Star Nēbiru". Cuneiform Digital Library Bulletin: 3.
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Tomkin, Jocelyn (April 1998). "Once and Future Celestial Kings". Sky and Telescope 95 (4): 59–63. Bibcode: 1998S&T....95d..59T. – based on computations from HIPPARCOS data. (The calculations exclude stars whose distance or proper motion is uncertain.) PDF
20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Griffin, R. F. (September 1985). "Alpha Tauri CD – A well-known Hyades binary". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific 97: 858–859. doi:10.1086/131616. ISSN 0004-6280. Bibcode: 1985PASP...97..858G.
21. ↑ Gore, John Ellard (1904). "Stellar Satellites". Studies in astronomy. Chatto & Windus. pp. 107–109. https://books.google.com/books?id=zAs6AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA107. Retrieved 2015-07-21.
22. ↑ Clerke, Agnes Mary (1908). A Popular History of Astronomy During the Nineteenth Century (4th ed.). Adam and Charles Black. pp. 381–382, 385, 406. https://books.google.com/books?id=J3PvAAAAMAAJ. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
23. ↑ Pease, F. G. (June 1921). "The Angular Diameter of a Bootis by the Interferometer". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific 33 (193): 171. doi:10.1086/123068. Bibcode: 1921PASP...33..171P.
24. ↑ Sahlholdt, Christian L.; Feltzing, Sofia; Lindegren, Lennart; Church, Ross P. (2019). "Benchmark ages for the Gaia benchmark stars". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 482 (1): 895. doi:10.1093/mnras/sty2732. Bibcode: 2019MNRAS.482..895S.
25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Heiter, U.; Jofré, P.; Gustafsson, B.; Korn, A. J.; Soubiran, C.; Thévenin, F. (2015). "GaiaFGK benchmark stars: Effective temperatures and surface gravities". Astronomy & Astrophysics 582: A49. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201526319. Bibcode: 2015A&A...582A..49H.
26. ↑ Keenan, Philip C.; McNeil, Raymond C. (1989). "The Perkins Catalog of Revised MK Types for the Cooler Stars". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 71: 245. doi:10.1086/191373. Bibcode: 1989ApJS...71..245K.
27. ↑ Stock, Stephan; Reffert, Sabine; Quirrenbach, Andreas; Hauschildt, P. (2018). "Precise radial velocities of giant stars. X. Bayesian stellar parameters and evolutionary stages for 372 giant stars from the Lick planet search". Astronomy and Astrophysics 616: A33. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201833111. Bibcode: 2018A&A...616A..33S.
28. ↑ Gatewood, George (July 2008). "Astrometric Studies of Aldebaran, Arcturus, Vega, the Hyades, and Other Regions". The Astronomical Journal 136 (1): 452–460. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/136/1/452. Bibcode: 2008AJ....136..452G.
29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Wasatonic, Rick; Guinan, Edward F. (1997). "Aldebaran: Discovery of Small Amplitude Light Variations". Information Bulletin on Variable Stars 4480: 1. Bibcode: 1997IBVS.4480....1W.
30. ↑ Koen, Chris; Eyer, Laurent (2002). "New periodic variables from the Hipparcos epoch photometry". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 331 (1): 45. doi:10.1046/j.1365-8711.2002.05150.x. Bibcode: 2002MNRAS.331...45K.
31. ↑ Percy, J. R.; Terziev, E. (2011). "Studies of "Irregularity" in Pulsating Red Giants. III. Many More Stars, an Overview, and Some Conclusions". Journal of the American Association of Variable Star Observers (Jaavso) 39 (1): 1. Bibcode: 2011JAVSO..39....1P.
32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 Ohnaka, K. (May 2013). "Spatially resolved, high-spectral resolution observation of the K giant Aldebaran in the CO first overtone lines with VLTI/AMBER". Astronomy & Astrophysics 553: 8. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201321207. A3. Bibcode: 2013A&A...553A...3O.
33. ↑ Aurière, M. et al. (February 2015). "The magnetic fields at the surface of active single G-K giants". Astronomy & Astrophysics 574: 30. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201424579. A90. Bibcode: 2015A&A...574A..90A.
34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Ayres, Thomas R.; Brown, Alexander; Harper, Graham M. (November 2003). "Buried Alive in the Coronal Graveyard". The Astrophysical Journal 598 (1): 610–625. doi:10.1086/378699. Bibcode: 2003ApJ...598..610A.
35. ↑ Wood, Brian E. et al. (February 2007). "The Wind-ISM Interaction of alpha Tauri". The Astrophysical Journal 655 (2): 946–957. doi:10.1086/510404. Bibcode: 2007ApJ...655..946W.
36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 Mugrauer, M. (December 2019). "Search for stellar companions of exoplanet host stars by exploring the second ESA-Gaia data release". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 490 (4): 5088–5102. doi:10.1093/mnras/stz2673. Bibcode: 2019MNRAS.490.5088M.
37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 González-Payo, J.; Caballero, J. A.; Gorgas, J.; Cortés-Contreras, M.; Gálvez-Ortiz, M.-C.; Cifuentes, C. (2024-07-29). "Multiplicity of stars with planets in the solar neighbourhood". Astronomy and Astrophysics 689: A302. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202450048. Bibcode: 2024A&A...689A.302G.
38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 Bidelman, W. P. (1985). "G.P. Kuiper's spectral classifications of proper-motion stars". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 59: 197. doi:10.1086/191069. Bibcode: 1985ApJS...59..197B.
39. ↑ Stassun, Keivan G.; Oelkers, Ryan J.; Paegert, Martin; Torres, Guillermo; Pepper, Joshua; De Lee, Nathan; Collins, Kevin; Latham, David W. et al. (2019-10-01). "The Revised TESS Input Catalog and Candidate Target List". The Astronomical Journal 158 (4): 138. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ab3467. ISSN 0004-6256. Bibcode: 2019AJ....158..138S.
40. ↑ Brown, A. G. A. (August 2018). "Gaia Data Release 2: Summary of the contents and survey properties". Astronomy & Astrophysics 616: A1. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201833051. Bibcode: 2018A&A...616A...1G. Gaia DR2 record for this source at VizieR.
41. ↑ Brown, A. G. A. (August 2018). "Gaia Data Release 2: Summary of the contents and survey properties". Astronomy & Astrophysics 616: A1. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201833051. Bibcode: 2018A&A...616A...1G. Gaia DR2 record for this source at VizieR.
42. ↑ Hatzes, A.; Cochran, W. (1993). "Long-period radial velocity variations in three K giants". The Astrophysical Journal 413 (1): 339–348. doi:10.1086/173002. Bibcode: 1993ApJ...413..339H.
43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 Hatzes, A. P. et al. (2015). "Long-lived, long-period radial velocity variations in Aldebaran: A planetary companion and stellar activity". Astronomy & Astrophysics 580: A31. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201425519. Bibcode: 2015A&A...580A..31H.
44. ↑ Farr, Will M.; Pope, Benjamin J. S.; Davies, Guy R.; North, Thomas S. H.; White, Timothy R.; Barrett, Jim W.; Miglio, Andrea; Lund, Mikkel N. et al. (2018). "Aldebaran b's Temperate Past Uncovered in Planet Search Data". The Astrophysical Journal 865 (2): L20. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/aadfde. Bibcode: 2018ApJ...865L..20F.
45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 Reichert, Katja (25 March 2019). "Precise radial velocities of giant stars XII. Evidence against the proposed planet Aldebaran b". Astronomy & Astrophysics A22: 625. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201834028. Bibcode: 2019A&A...625A..22R.
46. ↑ Döllinger, M. P.; Hartmann, M. (September 2021). "A Sanity Check for Planets around Evolved Stars". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 256 (1): 10. doi:10.3847/1538-4365/ac081a. Bibcode: 2021ApJS..256...10D.
47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 Hatzes, Artie P. et al. (May 2025). "No Planet around the K Giant Star 42 Draconis". Astronomy & Astrophysics 699: A260. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202554197. Bibcode: 2025A&A...699A.260H.
48. ↑ Spaeth, Dane et al. (September 2024). "Non-radial oscillations mimicking a brown dwarf orbiting the cluster giant NGC 4349 No. 127". Astronomy & Astrophysics 689: A91. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202450163. Bibcode: 2024A&A...689A..91S.
49. ↑ Spaeth, Dane et al. (March 2025). "Precise radial velocities of giant stars. XVII. Distinguishing planets from intrinsically induced radial velocity signals in evolved stars". Astronomy & Astrophysics 697: A32. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202453500. Bibcode: 2025A&A...697A..32S.
50. ↑ 50.0 50.1 50.2 Ridpath, Ian. "Aldebaran, the eye of the bull". http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/taurus2.html#aldebaran.
51. ↑ Moser, Mary B.; Marlett, Stephen A. (2005) (in es, en). Comcáac quih yaza quih hant ihíip hac: Diccionario seri-español-inglés. Hermosillo, Sonora and Mexico City: Universidad de Sonora and Plaza y Valdés Editores. http://lengamer.org/admin/language_folders/seri/user_uploaded_files/links/File/DiccionarioSeri2005.pdf.
52. ↑ Clarke, Philip A. (2007). Aboriginal People and Their Plants. New South Wales: Rosenberg Publishing Pty Ltd.. p. 30. ISBN 9781877058516. https://books.google.com/books?id=BrQdF-uBCXgC.
53. ↑ Allen (1963).
54. ↑ "Indian Names (All Terms)". IAU Working Group on Star Names. https://ase.exopla.net/index.php/Indian_Names_(All_Terms).
55. ↑ Λαμπαδίας. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project
56. ↑ 陳久金 (2005) (in zh). 中國星座神話. 五南圖書出版股份有限公司. ISBN 978-986-7332-25-7. https://books.google.com/books?id=0Vex0rYzdu8C. Retrieved 2019-01-09.
57. ↑ "香港太空館 - 研究資源 - 亮星中英對照表" (in zh). Hong Kong Space Museum. http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/Space/Research/StarName/c_research_chinengstars_ala_alz.htm.
58. ↑ Villegas, Marissa (23 February 2024). "Welcoming Kapuahi, Hawaiian Airlines' first Boeing 787 Dreamliner". https://newsroom.hawaiianairlines.com/blog/welcoming-kapuahi-hawaiian-airlines-first-boeing-787-dreamliner.
59. ↑ Seow, C. L. (2013). Job 1-21: interpretation and commentary. Illuminations. Grand Rapids, Michigan Cambridge, U.K: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. pp. 559. ISBN 978-0-8028-4895-6.
60. ↑ Partridge, Jamie (2015-04-30). "Fixed Star Aldebaran" (in en-US). https://astrologyking.com/aldebaran-star-alpha-tauri/.
61. ↑ Harms, The Encyclopedia Cthulhiana, p. 136.
62. ↑ de Lafayette, Maximilien (2012) (in en). Genetic Aliens. From Aldebaran to the Pentagon, Area 51 and Aliens Genetic Laboratories at Dulce Base. Lulu.com. ISBN 978-1300879527. [self-published source]
63. ↑ Van Helsing, Jan (1997) (in de). Unternehmen Aldebaran. Kontakte mit Menschen aus einem anderen Sonnensystem. Lathen: Ewertlag. ISBN 3-89478-220-X.
64. ↑ Stoll, Axel (2004) (in de). Hochtechnologie im Dritten Reich. Rottenburg: Kopp Verlag. p. 111ff. ISBN 978-3930219858.
65. ↑ Nieto, Michael Martin; Anderson, John D. (January 2007). "Search for a solution of the Pioneer anomaly". Contemporary Physics 48 (1): 41–54. doi:10.1080/00107510701462061. Bibcode: 2007ConPh..48...41N.
66. ↑ von Welsbach, Carl A. (1908). "Die Zerlegung des Ytterbiums in seine Elemente". Monatshefte für Chemie 29 (2): 181–225. doi:10.1007/BF01558944. https://zenodo.org/record/2348610. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
67. ↑ Urbain, G. (1909). "Lutetium und Neoytterbium oder Cassiopeium und Aldebaranium – Erwiderung auf den Artikel des Herrn Auer v. Welsbach". Monatshefte für Chemie 31 (10): 1. doi:10.1007/BF01530262. https://zenodo.org/record/1859372. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
68. ↑ Emsley, John (2003). Nature's building blocks: an A-Z guide to the elements. Oxford University Press. pp. 492–494. ISBN 978-0-19-850340-8. https://archive.org/details/naturesbuildingb0000emsl.

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## External links

* "Aldebaran 2". SolStation. http://www.solstation.com/stars2/aldebaran.htm.
* Daytime occultation of Aldebaran by the Moon (Moscow, Russia) YouTube video

Coordinates:  04h 35m 55.2s, +16° 30′ 33″

* v
* t
* e

Stars of Taurus

Bayer|

* α (Aldebaran)
* β (Elnath)
* γ (Prima Hyadum)
* δ1 (Secunda Hyadum)
* δ2
* δ3
* ε (Ain)
* ζ (Tianguan)
* η (Alcyone)
* θ1
* θ2
* ι
* κ1
* κ2
* λ
* μ
* ν
* ξ
* ο
* π
* ρ
* σ1
* σ2
* τ
* υ
* φ
* χ
* ψ
* ω1
* ω2

Flamsteed|

* 4 (s)
* 5 (f)
* 6 (t)
* 7
* 9
* 10
* 11
* 12
* 13
* 14
* 16 (Celaeno)
* 17 (Electra)
* 18
* 19 (Taygeta)
* 20 (Maia)
* 21 (Asterope)
* 22 (Asterope II)
* 23 (Merope)
* 24
* 26
* 27 (Atlas)
* 28 (Pleione)
* 29 (u)
* 30 (e)
* 31
* 32
* 33
* 36
* 37 (A1)
* 39 (A2)
* 40
* 41
* 44 (p)
* 45
* 46
* 47
* 48
* 51
* 53
* 55
* 56
* 57 (h)
* 58
* 60
* 62
* 63
* 66 (r)
* 70
* 71
* 72
* 75
* 76
* 79 (b)
* 80
* 81
* 83
* 84
* 85
* 88 (d)
* 89
* 90 (c)
* 93
* 95
* 96
* 97 (i)
* 98 (k)
* 99
* 101
* 103
* 104 (m)
* 105
* 106 (i)
* 107
* 108
* 109 (n)
* 110
* 111
* 113
* 114 (o)
* 115
* 116
* 117
* 118
* 119
* 120
* 121
* 122
* 125
* 126
* 127
* 128
* 129
* 130
* 131
* 132
* 133
* 134
* 135
* 136
* 137
* 139
* 140
* 44 Eri
* 49 Eri

Variable|

* T
* Y
* Z
* RR
* RV
* RW
* RY
* RZ
* SU
* SV
* SZ
* TU
* UX
* UZ
* VY
* XX
* XZ
* AA
* AH
* BP
* CD
* CI
* CQ
* CT
* CU
* CW
* CY
* DD
* DF
* DG
* DH
* DI
* DL
* DM
* DN
* DO
* DQ
* DR
* DS
* EQ
* EU
* FN
* FS
* FV
* GG
* GI
* GK
* GV
* HK
* HL
* HU
* IK
* V410
* V471
* V473
* V479
* V534
* V624
* V647
* V650
* V710
* V711
* V731
* V766
* V773
* V774
* V781
* V807
* V818
* V819
* V826
* V827
* V827
* V830
* V833
* V834
* V836
* V837
* V892
* V987
* V1038
* V1062
* V1116
* V1137
* V1141
* V1143
* V1156
* V1187
* V1229
* V1232
* V1241 (WX Eri)

HR|

* 1023
* 1028
* 1039
* 1067
* 1085
* 1089
* 1102
* 1103
* 1110
* 1119
* 1137
* 1159
* 1172
* 1183
* 1185
* 1188
* 1201
* 1222
* 1224
* 1233
* 1237
* 1238
* 1253
* 1254
* 1257
* 1279
* 1280
* 1284
* 1295
* 1307
* 1310
* 1315
* 1349
* 1354
* 1358
* 1360
* 1370
* 1385
* 1400
* 1402
* 1403
* 1406
* 1413
* 1425
* 1427
* 1436
* 1442
* 1445
* 1446
* 1448
* 1455
* 1477
* 1480
* 1490
* 1512
* 1517
* 1554
* 1566
* 1575
* 1585
* 1633
* 1642
* 1741
* 1750
* 1755
* 1831
* 1847
* 1860
* 1878
* 1902
* 1921
* 1929
* 1954
* 1997
* 2013
* 2074

HD|

* 21032
* 21585
* 23514
* 23712
* 24040
* 24368
* 24496
* 26292
* 27860
* 28086
* 28375
* 28678
* 29627
* 29647
* 36112
* 37124
* 38263
* 38524
* 285507

Gliese|

* Gliese 176

Other|

* 2MASS J03552337+1133437
* 2MASS J04414489+2301513
* A0535+26
* BD +24 692
* Butterfly star
* CoKu Tau/4
* Crab Pulsar
* Elias 16
* Elias 18
* GD 71
* Haro 6-37
* HBC 379
* HH 30
* HII 686
* HII 1306
* HII 1883
* HII 3163
* HL Tau 76
* HP Tau/G2
* Hubble I 4
* HZ 9
* IRAS 04239+2436
* IRAS 04248+2612
* IRAS 04325+2402
* IRAS 04381+2540
* L1489 IRS
* L1527
* L1551 IRS 5
* L1521F-IRS
* LkCa 15
* MWC 480
* PSR B0525+21
* PSR B0540+23
* PSR J0348+0432
* PSR J0538+2813
* Teide 1
* TMR-1
* TMC-1A
* WD 0346+246
* WISE 0410+1502

* List

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