Cor Caroli is the brightest star of Canes Venatici, named the Heart of Charles for an English king, and the model for a whole class of magnetic stars.
At a glance
| type | white star (class A) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 115 light-years (35.2 pc) |
| its light left it | 115 years ago |
| luminosity | 95.5 × the Sun |
| radius | 3.46 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 9,700 K |
| constellation | Canes Venatici (Hunting Dogs) |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Cor Caroli
Cor Caroli is a white star of class A, wider and hotter than the Sun. It is the prototype of a class of variable stars: its strong magnetic field gathers unusual elements into patches on its surface, and as the star rotates those patches turn in and out of view, so its brightness and spectrum change in step with its spin.
Its name is Latin for the heart of Charles, given in honour of an English King Charles; which king was meant has been argued over. A small telescope shows it as a wide double, with a fainter companion beside it.
Cor Caroli lies below the handle of the Plough, between Ursa Major and Boötes, in a constellation that represents the two dogs of the herdsman.
What you see in the piece
Seen from Earth Cor Caroli is a lone bright point under the Plough’s handle. In the piece it shows a pure white colour, the mark of a surface hotter than the Sun’s.
Questions
Why is it called Cor Caroli?
The name is Latin for the heart of Charles, in honour of an English King Charles.
How far away is Cor Caroli?
Cor Caroli is 115 light-years (35.2 pc) from the Sun.