Tau Aurigae is a star in the northern constellation Auriga. Its name is a Bayer designation that is Latinized from τ Aurigae, and abbreviated Tau Aur or τ Aur. This star is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of 4.5 and is positioned about a half degree west of the brighter star Nu Aurigae. Based on parallax measurements, it is approximately 210 light-years distant from Earth. The star is drifting closer to the Sun with a radial velocity of −19 km/s.