Altair
Product information
Description
Altair glows with a bright white light and is the dominant star in the constellation Aquila. Positioned along the Milky Way and forming part of the Summer Triangle, it’s a striking and easily recognizable presence in the summer night sky.
Additional Information
- Constellation
- Aquila
- Spectral Type
- A7V
- Apparent Magnitude
- 0.77
- Distance (Light Years)
- 16.7
- Right Ascension
- 19h 50m 47.0s
- Declination
- +08° 52′ 06″
- Solar Masses
- 1.8
- Radius (Solar)
- 1.8
- Temperature (Kelvin)
- 7550
- Age (Million Years)
- 1000
Discovery
- Ancient Civilizations
- Greeks, Chinese, Babylonians
- Historical Significance
- Altair has been known since antiquity. It was recognized by the Babylonians and Greeks and played a significant role in Chinese folklore. Its name comes from the Arabic phrase 'al-nasr al-ṭāʾir,' meaning 'the flying eagle,' tying into the imagery of its host constellation, Aquila.
Cultural Significance
- Mythology
- In Chinese mythology, Altair represents the cowherd in the famous Qixi Festival legend, where he is separated from his lover Vega (the weaver girl) by the Milky Way. In Greek tradition, it is part of the eagle constellation that carried Zeus's thunderbolts.
- Navigation
- As one of the closest and brightest stars visible from Earth, Altair served as a reliable navigational aid for ancient travelers and sailors, particularly in the summer skies of the Northern Hemisphere.
- Modern Reference
- Altair is part of the prominent Summer Triangle asterism, along with Deneb and Vega, and is regularly featured in astronomy books and planetarium programs.
Notable Features
- Stellar Motion
- Altair exhibits notable proper motion and lies relatively close to Earth, making it one of the best-studied stars in our local stellar neighborhood.
- Additional Fact
- Altair rotates extremely rapidly — once every 9 hours — causing it to flatten at the poles. This rapid spin makes it noticeably oblate in shape, a rare trait among visible stars.
User Dedications
- Dedications