Elnath is the blue-white star at the tip of the Bull’s northern horn, a star once shared with Auriga, its Arabic name meaning the butting one.
At a glance
| type | blue-white star (class B) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 134 light-years (41.1 pc) |
| its light left it | 134 years ago |
| luminosity | 722 × the Sun |
| radius | 5.3 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 13,000 K |
| constellation | Taurus (Bull) |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Elnath
Elnath is a hot blue-white star, larger and far brighter than the Sun. Its spectrum shows unusual amounts of certain heavy elements such as mercury and manganese, a sign that in its calm atmosphere some elements have floated up and others sunk.
The name comes from Arabic for the butting one, the horn of the Bull. Elnath also closes the pentagon of Auriga, and older charts gave it to both constellations; the modern boundaries place it in Taurus. It is one of the stars used for celestial navigation.
What you see in the piece
From Earth Elnath links the Bull and the Charioteer; flown out to, it has no particular tie to either, at its own distance between the nearer and farther stars of both figures.
Questions
What does Elnath mean?
Elnath comes from Arabic for the butting one, the tip of the Bull’s horn.
Is Elnath in Taurus or Auriga?
Elnath belongs to Taurus, but it also completes the pentagon of Auriga and was once counted in both.