Atria is an orange giant and the brightest star of the Southern Triangle, its name a simple contraction of its catalogue designation.
At a glance
| type | orange giant (class K) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 391 light-years (120 pc) |
| its light left it | 391 years ago |
| luminosity | 3,060 × the Sun |
| radius | 79 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 4,830 K |
| constellation | Triangulum Australe (Southern Triangle) |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Atria
Atria, Alpha Trianguli Australis, is an orange giant: an ageing star that has swollen far beyond the Sun’s size and cooled to an orange surface. It is vastly more luminous than the Sun, which is why it shines brightly despite its distance.
The name is not ancient. It is formed from Alpha Trianguli Australis, the star’s designation in the small southern figure of the Triangle, which lies near Alpha and Beta Centauri and is visible only from southern latitudes.
What you see in the piece
It is the corner of the Triangle that stands out from Earth; fly away and the three stars of the figure no longer share a plane.
Questions
How far away is Atria?
Atria is 391 light-years (120 pc) from the Sun.
Where does the name Atria come from?
It is a contraction of Alpha Trianguli Australis, the star’s designation.