Τ1_Serpentis
Tau1 Serpentis
Star in the constellation Serpens
Tau1 Serpentis, Latinized from τ1 Serpentis, is a single[10] star in the Caput (Head) segment of the equatorial constellation of Serpens. It is a red hued star that is dimly visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of 5.16.[3] Based upon parallax measurements, this star is located at a distance of approximately 990 light years from the Sun,[2] while it is drifting closer with a radial velocity of −16.5 km/s.[3]
This object is an aging red giant star, currently on the asymptotic giant branch,[5] with a stellar classification of M1III.[6] Having exhausted the supply of hydrogen at its core, it has cooled and expanded until it now has around 99[2] times the girth of the Sun.[2] It is a suspected variable star with a brightness that has been measured varying from magnitude 5.13 down to 5.20.[4] The Hipparcos data for Tau1 Serpentis shows brightness variations with a period of 6.4675 days, and an amplitude of 0.0066 magnitudes.[11] The star is radiating 2,158[2] times the luminosity of the Sun from its swollen photosphere at an effective temperature of 3,954 K.[2]