Sterope (star)

Position of the Asterope pair in the Pleiades

The Sterope /ˈstɛrəpiː/ or Asterope /əˈstɛrəpiː/[1] system is a double star in the zodiac constellation of Taurus. Its components have the Flamsteed designations 21 Tauri and 22 Tauri,[2] and are sometimes known as Sterope I and Sterope II, respectively.[3]

The International Astronomical Union applies the name Asterope specifically to 21 Tauri.[4] The two stars are thus

* 21 Tauri (or Sterope I, formally Asterope)
* 22 Tauri (or Sterope II)

The two stars are separated by 0.047° on the sky, which is equal to 2.82 arc-minutes and thus closer than the usual naked-eye resolution limit of 4 arc-min, giving an elongated appearance of the two together. Both are members of the Pleiades open star cluster (M45) and approximately 440 light-years from the Sun.

## Nomenclature

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Asterope was one of the Pleiades sisters in Greek mythology.

In 2016, the International Astronomical Union organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN)[5] to catalogue and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN decided to attribute proper names to individual stars rather than entire multiple systems.[6] It approved the name Asterope for 21 Tauri on 21 August 2016 and it is now so included in the List of IAU-approved Star Names.[4]

### Namesake

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USS Sterope (AK-96) was a United States Navy Crater class cargo ship named after the star.

## Cultural meaning

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In Māori tradition the star is known as Pōhutukawa, which forms part of the Matariki cluster. It is said to be a female being linked to the dead, whose absence in the night sky portends upcoming death.[7]

## See also

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* Pleiades in folklore and literature
* Taurus (Chinese astronomy)

## References

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1. ^ Davis, George A. (1944). "The pronunciations, derivations, and meanings of a selected list of star names". Popular Astronomy. 52: 8–30\. Bibcode:1944PA.....52....8D.
2. ^ Burnham, Robert (1978). Burnham's Celestial Handbook: An Observer's Guide to the Universe Beyond the Solar System. Vol. 3\. Courier Corporation. p. 1883\. ISBN 9780486236735.
3. ^ Allen, Richard Hinckley (1963). Star names - Their Lore and Meaning. Dover Books. p. 407. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
4. ^ a b "Naming Stars". IAU.org. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
5. ^ IAU Working Group on Star Names (WGSN), International Astronomical Union, retrieved 22 May 2016.
6. ^ "WG Triennial Report (2015-2018) - Star Names" (PDF). p. 5. Retrieved 2018-07-14.
7. ^ Aranui, Amber (23 June 2022). "Stars of the Matariki cluster: Pōhutukawa". Te Papa’s Blog. Te Papa. Retrieved 14 March 2025.

* v
* t
* e

Constellation of Taurus

* List of stars in Taurus
* Taurus in Chinese astronomy

Stars|

| Bayer|

* α (Aldebaran)
* β (Elnath)
* γ (Prima Hyadum)
* δ1 (Secunda Hyadum)
* δ2
* δ3
* ε (Ain)
* ζ (Tianguan)
* η (Alcyone)
* θ1
* θ2 (Chamukuy)
* 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 (l)
* 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

Variable|

* T
* Y
* RV
* RW
* RY
* SZ
* UX
* XX
* XZ
* AA
* BP
* CI
* CM
* CQ
* DF
* DG
* DG B
* DH
* DL
* EQ
* EU
* FU
* GG
* GI
* GK
* GV
* HK
* HL
* HU
* IK
* V441
* V471
* V711
* V773
* V830
* V833
* V834
* V987
* V1079
* V1298

HR|

* 1172
* 1427
* 1436

HD|

* 23514
* 24040
* 24496
* 36112
* 37124
* 245134
* 285507

Other|

* 2MASS J03552337+1133437
* 2MASS J04070752+1546457
* 2MASS J0441+2301
* CoKu Tau/4
* Gliese 176
* HH 30
* K2-25
* K2-136
* L1551 IRS 5
* MWC 480
* PSR J0348+0432
* Teide 1
* WD 0346+246
* WISE 0410+1502

| Exoplanets|

* ε Tauri b
* BD+20 594b
* HD 24040 b
* HD 37124 b
* c
* d
* Kojima-1Lb
* TOI-4603 b

|

| Star clusters|

* Hyades
* Pleiades

|

| Nebulae|

* Crab Nebula

|

| Astronomical events|

* SN 1054

|

Category

Portals:

* Astronomy
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* Outer space

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