Ascella is a white star at the base of the Teapot in Sagittarius, a close pair of stars named from the Latin for armpit.
At a glance
| type | white star (class A) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 88.2 light-years (27 pc) |
| its light left it | 88.2 years ago |
| luminosity | 65.3 × the Sun |
| radius | 3.54 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 8,720 K |
| constellation | Sagittarius (Archer) |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Ascella
Ascella, Zeta Sagittarii, is a white class A star, larger and more luminous than the Sun. It is a binary of two stars in a close orbit, too close for any ordinary telescope to separate.
The name comes from the Latin for armpit, its place in the old figure of the Archer. In the Teapot it marks the bottom corner of the handle, below Nunki.
What you see in the piece
It is one of the nearer stars of the Teapot, so it moves forward when you fly out and the figure loses its shape.
Questions
How far away is Ascella?
Ascella is 88.2 light-years (27 pc) from the Sun.