Alchiba is a yellow-white star in Corvus, the Crow, a nearby star that carries the letter alpha but is fainter than the four stars of the Crow’s body.
At a glance
| type | yellow-white star (class F) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 48.7 light-years (14.9 pc) |
| its light left it | 48.7 years ago |
| luminosity | 4.86 × the Sun |
| radius | 1.38 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 7,300 K |
| constellation | Corvus (Crow) |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Alchiba
The card describes a star a little hotter, larger and brighter than the Sun, still burning hydrogen in its core, and close to us.
Corvus is drawn by a small, distinct quadrilateral of stars, Gienah, Kraz, Algorab and Minkar, south-west of Spica. Alchiba lies just south of that shape and is outshone by all four. Its name is generally given as Arabic for a tent.
What you see in the piece
In the piece Alchiba is among the nearest stars of the Crow; flown past, the quadrilateral falls apart into stars at very different depths.
Questions
Is Alchiba the brightest star in Corvus?
No. It carries the letter alpha, but the four stars of the Crow’s quadrilateral are all brighter in our sky.