Markab is the south-west corner of the Great Square of Pegasus, a blue-white star used by navigators, its Arabic name meaning the saddle.
At a glance
| type | blue-white star (class B) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 133 light-years (40.9 pc) |
| its light left it | 133 years ago |
| luminosity | 201 × the Sun |
| radius | 4.55 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 10,200 K |
| constellation | Pegasus (Winged Horse) |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Markab
The card shows a blue-white star of class B, hotter and larger than the Sun and far brighter. It is Alpha Pegasi, though it is not much brighter than the other stars of the square.
Its name comes from the Arabic markab, a saddle or something ridden. It is one of the stars used for celestial navigation. With Scheat, Algenib and Alpheratz it makes the Great Square, and from it the line of the horse’s neck runs out through Homam and Biham to Enif.
What you see in the piece
Markab is white beside red Scheat, each drawn in the colour of its temperature. Fly out and the Great Square comes apart, its corners at different depths.
Questions
What does Markab mean?
Markab comes from Arabic and means a saddle, or something ridden, for its place on the winged horse.