9 lines
892 B
Markdown
9 lines
892 B
Markdown
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name: Erakis (μ Cep)
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constellation: Cep
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created_by: 8mag
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created_date: 2022-01-21 17:00:00
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updated_by: skybber
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updated_date: 2022-01-23 13:40:01.462285
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William Herschel named the star "Garnet Star" for its striking, deep red colour - it is one of the reddest stars in the sky, a fact easily verifiable even to the unaided human eye. Even in a binocular or small telescope it provides a nice view. Gradually, when viewed through increasingly larger telescopes, it can take on an orange-red to orange-yellow hue. Its surface temperature is only 3,500 K, while its diameter is 70 times that of the Sun. By comparison, this M spectrum star is actually much brighter than another well-known red giant, Betelgeuse of Orion, equal to at least 174,000 Suns, and has an absolute magnitude of -8.3. We only see it as a faint star in the sky because of its great distance of 2,800 light years. |