Asellus Australis is the southern donkey colt of Cancer, an orange star beside the Beehive cluster and one of the brighter of the faint stars that draw the Crab.
At a glance
| type | orange star (class K) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 131 light-years (40 pc) |
| its light left it | 131 years ago |
| luminosity | 46.8 × the Sun |
| radius | 8.6 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 5,150 K |
| constellation | Cancer (Crab) |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Asellus Australis
The card describes a star that has left the main sequence and grown larger and more luminous than the Sun, cooler at its surface and orange in colour.
Its Latin name means the southern little ass; it and Asellus Borealis flank the Beehive, Praesepe, the manger. It lies almost on the ecliptic, the Sun’s yearly path, so the Moon regularly passes in front of it and hides it for a while.
What you see in the piece
In the piece it is drawn at its real distance; leave the Earth and it slides away from its northern partner and from the Beehive, which lies well behind both.
Questions
Is Asellus Australis the brightest star in Cancer?
Not quite: Tarf is a little brighter in our sky. Asellus Australis is 131 light-years (40 pc) away, with 46.8 times the Sun’s luminosity.