| Observation data Epoch J2000.0 Equinox J2000.0 |
|
|---|---|
| Constellation | Taurus |
| Right ascension | 03h 27m 10.2s |
| Declination | +9° 43' 58" |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | +3.73 |
| Distance | 222 ± 15 ly (68 ± 5 pc) |
| Spectral type | B8Vn + B8Vn + B7Vn |
| Other designations | |
Xi Tauri (ξ Tau, ξ Tauri) is a triple star system in the constellation Taurus. Xi Tauri a spectroscopic and eclipsing triple star. It consists of three blue-white B-type main sequence dwarfs. Two of the stars are in a close orbit and revolve around each other once every 7.15 days. These in turn orbit the third star once every 145 days. The mean combined apparent magnitude of the system is +3.73 but, because the stars eclipse one another during their orbits, it is classified as a variable star, and its brightness varies from magnitude +3.70 to +3.79. Xi Tauri is approximately 222 light years from Earth.