Stars · Red giant
Aldebaran
65 light-years · Light crosses it in 3.4 minutes
- Across
- 61.4 million km
- Vs Earth
- 44× Sun
- Mass
- 1.16 Suns
Open Aldebaran in Cosmic Scale
About
Aldebaran is the red eye of Taurus the Bull, an orange giant that has swollen to 44 times the Sun's width. It appears to sit among the Hyades star cluster but is actually less than half as far away.
The glowing red eye of Taurus the Bull.
At a glance
| Distance | 65 light-years |
|---|---|
| Surface | 3,900 K |
| Brightness | 440 Suns |
| Type | Red giant |
Did you know
- The Pioneer 10 probe is drifting toward it and will arrive in roughly two million years.
- Its name comes from Arabic for 'the follower', because it trails the Pleiades across the sky.
- It is bright enough that the Moon regularly passes in front of it, which is how its size was first measured.