Aldebaran , ( Alpha Tauri ). It is the thirteenth brightest star in the entire night sky. It is located in the constellation of the Bull and has a stellar magnitude of +0.85 that makes it the brightest star in that system.
It is a beautiful red-orange giant that is located at a distance of 65 light-years from the Solar System . It has a radius 44 times greater than the Sun and 425 times more luminous.
Size comparison between the star Aldebaran and the Sun
Actually Aldebaran is composed of two stars (it is a binary system). The largest star has a red dwarf called Aldebaran B with a magnitude of +13.50. Currently the Pioneer 10 space probe is heading towards Aldebaran. Due to the enormous distance that separates us, the probe will take 1,690,000 years to reach this star.
Summary
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- 1 Location
- 2 Mythology
- 3 Origin of the name
- 4 Sources
Location
Aldebaran is located in the constellation of the Bull , visible in the winter night sky in the northern hemisphere. It is located northwest of the Orion Constellation . In this constellation there are two of the best known star clusters: the Pleiades and the Hyades.
Mythology
The Greek mythology that the god Zeus took the form of bull to seduce the Phoenician princess Europa. From this union three sons were born: Minos , later the legendary king of Crete , Sarpedon and Radamantis.
Name’s origin
The name Aldebaran comes from the Arabic “al-dabarān”, which means “the one that follows”, as this star appears after the Pleiades in its nocturnal journey through the sky.
The Greeks called it “Omma Boos” and the Romans “Oculus Tauri”. For its part, the Persians called it Al Fanik (“the stallion camel”) and Al Fatik (“the fat camel”).
