Eta Aurigae
Encyclopedia
Eta Aurigae is a star
in the constellation
Auriga
. Along with ζ Aurigae
it represents one of the Kids of the she-goat Capella
, from which it gets its Latin traditional name Hoedus II or Haedus II, from the Latin hædus "kid"; Zeta Aurigae is Hoedus I. It has the less common traditional name Mahasim, from the Arabic المِعْصَم al-micşam "wrist" (of the charioteer), which it shares with Theta Aurigae
.
In Chinese
, , meaning Pillars
, refers to an asterism consisting of η Aurigae, ε Aurigae
, ζ Aurigae
, υ Aurigae
, ν Aurigae, τ Aurigae, χ Aurigae
and 26 Aurigae
. Consequently, η Aurigae itself is known as
Eta Aurigae is a blue-white B-type
main sequence dwarf
with an apparent magnitude
of +3.18. It is approximately 219 light-years from Earth
.
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
in the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
Auriga
Auriga (constellation)
Auriga is a constellation in the northern sky. Its name is Latin for 'charioteer' and its stars form a shape that has been associated with the pointed helmet of a charioteer. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains among the 88 modern...
. Along with ζ Aurigae
Zeta Aurigae
Zeta Aurigae is a star in the constellation Auriga. It has the traditional names Haedus and Sadatoni . It is one of the two hædi of the she-goat Capella, the other being Hoedus II, Eta Aurigae...
it represents one of the Kids of the she-goat Capella
Capella (star)
Capella is the brightest star in the constellation Auriga, the sixth brightest star in the night sky and the third brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere, after Arcturus and Vega. Although it appears to be a single star to the naked eye, it is actually a star system of four stars in...
, from which it gets its Latin traditional name Hoedus II or Haedus II, from the Latin hædus "kid"; Zeta Aurigae is Hoedus I. It has the less common traditional name Mahasim, from the Arabic المِعْصَم al-micşam "wrist" (of the charioteer), which it shares with Theta Aurigae
Theta Aurigae
Theta Aurigae is a binary star in the constellation Auriga. It is approximately 173 light-years from Earth. Rarely used proper names for this star include Bogardus and Mahasim, the latter from the Arabic المِعْصَم al-micşam "wrist" , which was also used for Eta Aurigae.The primary, θ Aurigae A,...
.
In Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, , meaning Pillars
Net (Chinese constellation)
The Net mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the western mansions of the White Tiger.-Asterisms:...
, refers to an asterism consisting of η Aurigae, ε Aurigae
Epsilon Aurigae
Epsilon Aurigae is a star in the constellation Auriga. It is traditionally known as Almaaz, Haldus, or Al Anz. Epsilon Aurigae is an unusual eclipsing binary system comprising an F0 supergiant and a companion which is generally accepted to be a huge dark disk orbiting an unknown object, possibly a...
, ζ Aurigae
Zeta Aurigae
Zeta Aurigae is a star in the constellation Auriga. It has the traditional names Haedus and Sadatoni . It is one of the two hædi of the she-goat Capella, the other being Hoedus II, Eta Aurigae...
, υ Aurigae
Upsilon Aurigae
Upsilon Aurigae is a star in the constellation Auriga.Upsilon Aurigae is a M-type red giant with an apparent magnitude of +4.72. It is approximately 475 light-years from Earth.-References:* *...
, ν Aurigae, τ Aurigae, χ Aurigae
Chi Aurigae
Chi Aurigae is a binary star in the constellation Auriga. It is at least 2000 light-years from Earth.Chi Aurigae is a spectroscopic binary which is classified as a blue-white B-type supergiant with an apparent magnitude of +4.71. The binary has an orbital period of 655.16 days.-References:* *...
and 26 Aurigae
26 Aurigae
26 Aurigae is a star in the constellation Auriga. Its apparent magnitude is 5.40.-References:* * * -Components:...
. Consequently, η Aurigae itself is known as
Eta Aurigae is a blue-white B-type
Stellar classification
In astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of stars based on their spectral characteristics. The spectral class of a star is a designated class of a star describing the ionization of its chromosphere, what atomic excitations are most prominent in the light, giving an objective measure...
main sequence dwarf
Main sequence
The main sequence is a continuous and distinctive band of stars that appears on plots of stellar color versus brightness. These color-magnitude plots are known as Hertzsprung–Russell diagrams after their co-developers, Ejnar Hertzsprung and Henry Norris Russell...
with an apparent magnitude
Apparent magnitude
The apparent magnitude of a celestial body is a measure of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, adjusted to the value it would have in the absence of the atmosphere...
of +3.18. It is approximately 219 light-years from Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
.