Alkaphrah is a white star on a front foot of the Great Bear, partner to Talitha in one of the Leaps of the Gazelle, though far more distant than its partner.
At a glance
| type | white star (class A) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 358 light-years (110 pc) |
| its light left it | 358 years ago |
| luminosity | 471 × the Sun |
| radius | 8.36 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 9,300 K |
| constellation | Ursa Major (Great Bear) |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Alkaphrah
The facts describe a hot white star much wider than the Sun and far brighter, so luminous that it still looks like Talitha’s neighbour despite lying much further away.
With Talitha it makes one of three pairs of stars under the Bear that Arabic tradition read as the hoofprints of a gazelle. Its name was formally adopted by the IAU in its modern list of star names.
What you see in the piece
Fly to it in the piece and Talitha falls far behind: the pair is a chance alignment seen from the Earth.
Questions
Are Alkaphrah and Talitha a real pair?
No. Alkaphrah is 358 light-years (110 pc) away, far more distant than Talitha; they only appear side by side from the Earth.