Taurus

Hyades V

Taurus V

catalogue / cluster listing · high confidence

The nearest prominent open-cluster pattern forms a broad V around Aldebaran, which is a foreground star projected onto the group. It overflows binoculars but rewards slow sweeping.

Central RA: 04^h 27^m 08.5^s
Central Dec: +16° 56′ 45″
Brightest member: V 0.85
Best months from 50°N: December–March evenings
Suggested instrument: 7x50
Approx. span: 4.1°

Finder context

This wider chart is deliberately schematic: it uses nearby bright-star context and boxes the asterism’s member-star footprint, but it does not draw official constellation boundaries or promise horizon/season precision.

Framing: Approximate member-star span: 4.1°; use at least 5.8° field for context.

Observing and imaging

Naked eye

Possible as a haze or partial pattern only from darker skies; use naked-eye stars nearby for the hop.

Binoculars

Best treated as a binocular field; start with 7×50 or similar and allow roughly 4.1° of pattern spread.

Small scope

Use low power only; higher magnification breaks the pattern into separate stars.

Imaging

Frame as a wide-field scene in/near Taurus; a field of view around 6° keeps context without claiming exact constellation boundaries.

Observability from your latitude

Uses this asterism’s centroid RA/Dec: transit altitude, hours above 20°, and a month-scale evening window. Default is Edmonton-ish 50°N.

Latitude 50°NMonth Sky darkness Bortle 4 · limit V 6.1

Naked-eye visibility by sky class

Approximate limiting magnitudes: Bortle 3 ≈ V 6.6, Bortle 5 ≈ V 5.6, Bortle 7 ≈ V 4.6. The shape is counted recognisable when at least 70% of defining stars clear the limit.

Bortle 3: 7/7 stars — fully visibleBortle 5: 7/7 stars — fully visibleBortle 7: 7/7 stars — fully visible

Member stars

Name	Bayer / Flamsteed	HR	RA J2000	Dec J2000	V mag
Aldebaran	87Alp Tau	HR 1457	04^h 35^m 55.2^s	+16° 30′ 33″	0.85
Theta² Tauri	78The2Tau	HR 1412	04^h 28^m 39.7^s	+15° 52′ 15″	3.40
Ain	74Eps Tau	HR 1409	04^h 28^m 37.0^s	+19° 10′ 49″	3.53
Hyadum I	54Gam Tau	HR 1346	04^h 19^m 47.6^s	+15° 37′ 39″	3.65
Delta¹ Tauri	61Del1Tau	HR 1373	04^h 22^m 56.1^s	+17° 32′ 33″	3.76
Theta¹ Tauri	77The1Tau	HR 1411	04^h 28^m 34.5^s	+15° 57′ 44″	3.84
Hyadum II	68Del3Tau	HR 1389	04^h 25^m 29.4^s	+17° 55′ 41″	4.29

Source and confidence

catalogue / cluster listing; high confidence. Cluster or catalogue-associated asterism cross-checked against Sky Catalogue 2000.0 plus BSC5 member-star data.

Citations

Bright Star Catalogue, 5th Revised Ed.: Hoffleit, D. & Warren, W.H. Jr. (1991). Positions, V magnitudes, Bayer/Flamsteed identifiers. source
Sky Catalogue 2000.0: Hirshfeld, A. & Sinnott, R.W. (eds.). Vol. 2: Double Stars, Variable Stars and Nonstellar Objects. Used for cluster/asterism cross-checks.
The Hipparcos and Tycho Catalogues: ESA SP-1200 (1997). Used as the modern astrometric reference named by the atlas; the MVP pages expose BSC5 J2000 fields for the plotted bright-star members.