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Star

Epsilon Aurigae

Also Almaaz · ε Aur

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A bright star eclipsed every 27 years by a huge, dark disc of dust that takes nearly two years to pass.

Measured

Distance
about 3,302 light-years (published estimates 2,795–4,033)
Constellation
Auriga
Position (J2000)
RA 5h 01m 58s, Dec +43.82°

How far, from the Sun

About 3,300 light-years. To cross it:

  • Light3,300 years
  • Voyager 1's speed58.7 million years
  • Driving at 100 km/h35.6 billion years

Voyager 1 at the speed it moved outward over the year to 2026-10-25 (JPL Horizons). Driving: nonstop, never refuelling.

Facts

  • Its last eclipse ran from 2009 to 2011.
  • Its distance comes from a Gaia parallax: the tiny yearly shift in its position as the Earth circles the Sun.

Where this comes from

  • Gaia DR3 parallax 0.9879 ± 0.1792 mas, Gaia DR3 205499655242974464 (Gaia Collaboration 2023, A&A 674, A1)
  • This research has made use of the SIMBAD database, CDS, Strasbourg, France (Wenger et al. 2000, A&AS 143, 9).
  • This research has made use of the VizieR catalogue access tool, CDS, Strasbourg, France (DOI: 10.26093/cds/vizier).

Every catalogue Ouranos draws is credited on the credits page.