126 Tauri

A fifth-magnitude star in eastern Taurus, 126 Tauri falls between the tips of the 'horns' of Taurus (which lie to the north) and the distinctive shape of Orion (which lies ot the south). This hot blue star is in a transitional stage of its evolution: as a subgiant, it has departed from the main sequence and is in the process of developing into a giant star. 126 Tauri is a binary system, and the primary blue star has a fainter seventh-magnitude companion, with an orbit known in some detail. The companion averages some 62 AU from the primary, and has an orbital period of 111 years.