Electra (star)
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| Observation data Epoch J2000.0 Equinox J2000.0 |
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|---|---|
| Constellation | Taurus |
| Right ascension | 03h 44m 52.5s |
| Declination | +24° 06′ 48″ |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | +3.72 |
| Distance | 440 ly (135 pc) |
| Spectral type | B6III |
| Other designations | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
Electra, also cataloged as 17 Tauri, is a blue-white giant star approximately 440 light-years away in the constellation of Taurus. The star is one of the nine brightest stars in the Pleiades star cluster (the most visible stars in this group are named for the Seven Sisters of Greek mythology).
[edit] Distance and visibility
The star has an apparent brightness of 3.72, the third brightest of the stars in the group. Electra belongs to the spectral class B6III and is approximately 400 light years from the sun. Electra is one of the four Pleiades stars that is classed as a giant, one that is starting to expand as the internal hydrogen fuel in the core is exhausted.
Electra is periodically occulted by the Moon and occasionally by other planets in our solar system. The last planetary occultation took place on May 9, 1841, when it was occulted by Venus.
[edit] External links
- Kaler, Jim. "Electra". STARS. University of Illinois. http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/electra.html. Retrieved on 2008-07-15.
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