CoKu Tau/4
star in the constellation Taurus
CoKu Tau/4 is a pre-main-sequence binary T Tauri star system in the constellation Taurus. The stars are surrounded by a circumbinary disc with a central cavity of radius 10 astronomical units. Before its binary nature was known, the central cavity in the system's disc was thought to have been cleared out by a planet of at least 10 Jupiter masses, a rare example of a so-called "transitional disc". This model was disproven in 2008 when the star was resolved using adaptive optics as a system of two near-equal-mass stars with a projected separation of 8 AU. The central cavity is thus cleared out by the stars, not by the gravitational influence of a planet.
References
Further reading
Ireland & Kraus (2008): The Disk Around CoKu Tauri/4: Circumbinary, Not Transitional
How Nature Builds a Planet, Adam Frank, Discover 26 (#7, July 2005); accessed online 1-II-2007.
On the Planet and the Disk of CoKu TAURI/4, Alice C. Quillen et al., Astrophysical Journal 612 (September 2004), pp. L137–L140; also arXiv:astro-ph/0406445.
Pre-main sequence star Proper Motion Catalogue, C. Ducourant et al., Astronomy and Astrophysics 438 (August 2005), pp. 769–778.
Observational studies of pre-main-sequence evolution, Martin Cohen and Leonard V. Kuhi, Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 41 (December 1979), pp.
The public source identifies “CoKu Tau/4” as star in the constellation Taurus. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around CoKu, star and constellation.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “CoKu Tau/4”, the useful work is to connect “star in the constellation Taurus” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q851199. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2008, 2005, 2007 and 2004.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “CoKu Tau/4”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow CoKu Tau/4 primary sources, CoKu Tau/4 archive and CoKu research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “CoKu Tau/4”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “CoKu Tau/4” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.