Chara is a yellow star in Canes Venatici, the Hunting Dogs, close to the Sun and very like it in size, temperature and brightness.
At a glance
| type | yellow star (class G) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 27.5 light-years (8.44 pc) |
| its light left it | 27.5 years ago |
| luminosity | 1.32 × the Sun |
| radius | 1.09 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 5,940 K |
| constellation | Canes Venatici (Hunting Dogs) |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Chara
Chara is a yellow star of class G, only a little wider and a little more luminous than the Sun, with a similar surface temperature. Of the stars near the Sun it is one of the closest matches to the Sun itself, which makes it a natural object of study for astronomers interested in stars like ours.
Its name was once given to the southern of the two hunting dogs held on a leash by Boötes; it comes from the Greek for joy. It now belongs to the star itself, the fainter of the two named stars of the constellation beside Cor Caroli.
What you see in the piece
Chara is close enough that, flying away from the Sun, it brightens quickly into a yellow point the colour of the Sun. Seen from Earth it is a modest star; from nearby it would look much as the Sun does from a distance.
Questions
Is Chara like the Sun?
Very nearly: it is a yellow star (class G) with 1.32 × the Sun’s luminosity, 1.09 × its radius and a surface temperature of 5,940 K.