Map of the Universe

Altair

Star · Brightest star in the constellation Aquila

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Altair
Picture: Aquila_constellation_map.png: Torsten Bronger, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

About Altair

Altair is about 16.73 light-years from the Sun, so the light we see from it left about 16.73 years ago.

At apparent magnitude 0.76 it can be seen with the naked eye from a dark site.

It gives out 11.4 times as much light as the Sun.

The map lists it as a star and shows it among the stars around the Sun, drawn on the plane of the Milky Way.

Key numbers

Distance16.73 light-years (5.13 pc)
Spectral typeA7IV-V
Apparent magnitude0.76
Absolute magnitude2.21
Luminosity11.4 × the Sun
ConstellationAql

Where it is

Its place in the universe, from the inside out: Solar neighbourhood › Local Bubble › Orion–Cygnus Arm (Local Arm) › Milky Way › Local Group › Virgo Supercluster › Laniakea Supercluster › Observable universe.

Zoom out to see it in context: 100 light-years, a view about 220 light-years across.

From Wikipedia

Altair is the brightest star in the equatorial constellation of Aquila and the twelfth-brightest star in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation Alpha Aquilae, which is Latinised from α Aquilae and abbreviated Alpha Aql or α Aql.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Altair, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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