Unukalhai

Star

An orange giant and the brightest star in Serpens, the only constellation split into two separate halves.

Facts

TypeStar
Distance from Earth74 ly
Diameter16,712,200 km
Mass3.30 × 10³⁰ kg
Temperature4,225°C
Apparent magnitude2.63
Redshift0
HemisphereNorthern
Discovered150

Unukalhai in context

Stars spend most of their lives fusing hydrogen into helium in their core, and it's the balance between that outward pressure and gravity pulling inward that fixes how big and how bright a star gets.

At 16,712,200 km across, Unukalhai is 12 times the diameter of the Sun.

Its mass is 1.7 times the mass of the Sun.

The light reaching us from Unukalhai tonight left it around 74 years ago.

Its surface sits at 4,498 K, cooler than the Sun at 5,772 K, which is what sets its colour.

It has been on record since the year 150.

Play today's Cosmodle