Fang is a hot blue-white star in the head of Scorpius whose name comes from Chinese astronomy, the Room, one of the lunar mansions of the Chinese sky.
At a glance
| type | blue-white star (class B) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 586 light-years (180 pc) |
| its light left it | 586 years ago |
| luminosity | 18,800 × the Sun |
| radius | 7.07 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 25,400 K |
| constellation | Scorpius (Scorpion) |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Fang
Fang is a blue-white star of class B, among the hotter stars of the scorpion and vastly more luminous than the Sun. It is a close binary of two hot stars, too near each other for any telescope to show apart.
Its name, adopted by the International Astronomical Union, comes from the Chinese lunar mansion called the Room, of which it is the leading star. It forms part of the arc of the scorpion’s head with Iklil, Dschubba and Acrab, all members of the Scorpius–Centaurus association.
What you see in the piece
In the piece Fang is a blue-white point at its real brightness. Its siblings in the scorpion’s head lie at broadly similar distances, so this part of the figure holds together better than most.
Questions
How far away is Fang?
Fang is 586 light-years (180 pc) from the Sun; its light left it 586 years ago.