Kaffaljidhma is a white star in the head of Cetus, the sea monster, a close double whose Arabic name refers to part of a hand in an older sky figure.
At a glance
| type | white star (class A) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 79.6 light-years (24.4 pc) |
| its light left it | 79.6 years ago |
| luminosity | 23.9 × the Sun |
| radius | 2.14 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 8,720 K |
| constellation | Cetus (Sea Monster) |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Kaffaljidhma
Kaffaljidhma is a class A star, white and hotter than the Sun, more luminous and larger. A telescope shows a fainter companion close beside it, making it a test for steady skies and good optics.
Its name comes from an Arabic phrase describing part of a hand, from an old picture of a great hand stretched across this region of the sky, a counterpart of the hand that gave Caph in Cassiopeia its name. In the Greek figure it lies in the head of the sea monster, near Menkar.
What you see in the piece
Kaffaljidhma is a white point in the piece, much nearer than Menkar beside it. From space the head of the sea monster splits into stars at very different distances.
Questions
How far away is Kaffaljidhma?
Kaffaljidhma is 79.6 light-years (24.4 pc) from the Sun.