Mebsuta is a luminous giant in Gemini, marking Castor’s leg, a distant star whose Arabic name describes an outstretched paw.
At a glance
| type | white giant (class A) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 845 light-years (259 pc) |
| its light left it | 845 years ago |
| luminosity | 3,920 × the Sun |
| radius | 27.4 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 8,720 K |
| constellation | Gemini (Twins) |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Mebsuta
Mebsuta is a giant star, far larger and brighter than the Sun, which has left behind the steady hydrogen-burning stage of its life. Its great output lets it hold its place in the figure even though it lies far behind the Twins’ bright heads.
In Gemini it marks the leg of Castor, the western twin. The name comes from Arabic for outstretched, from an older figure of a huge lion whose paw reached across these stars; Mekbuda, the drawn-in paw, lies across the figure on Pollux’s side.
What you see in the piece
From Earth Mebsuta looks as near as Castor; in the piece it lies far beyond, and flying towards the Twins leaves Castor’s leg stranded in the distance.
Questions
What does Mebsuta mean?
Mebsuta comes from Arabic for outstretched, the outstretched paw of a lion in an older figure of these stars.