Ashlesha is a yellow star in the head of Hydra, named after the lunar mansion of Indian astronomy that this part of the sky marks.
At a glance
| type | yellow star (class G) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 129 light-years (39.6 pc) |
| its light left it | 129 years ago |
| luminosity | 64.3 × the Sun |
| radius | 7.57 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 5,940 K |
| constellation | Hydra (Female Water Snake) |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Ashlesha
The card shows a star larger and more luminous than the Sun with a similar surface temperature, so it shines yellow. It is a multiple system: a close pair with further companions, too close together for the eye to separate.
Its name is that of Ashlesha, one of the nakshatras, the divisions of the Moon’s path in Indian astronomy, associated with a serpent, which suits the head of the Water Snake. It is one of the stars that draw the snake’s head south of Cancer.
What you see in the piece
In the piece Ashlesha is drawn at its real distance and brightness; from space the snake’s head breaks up, its stars lying at different depths.
Questions
What does the name Ashlesha mean?
It is the name of a nakshatra, a lunar mansion of Indian astronomy, associated with a serpent and marked by stars in the head of Hydra.