Mekbuda is a pulsating yellow giant in Gemini, a Cepheid variable whose steady rhythm of brightening and fading is tied to its true power.
At a glance
| type | yellow giant (class G) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 1,380 light-years (422 pc) |
| its light left it | 1,380 years ago |
| luminosity | 4,210 × the Sun |
| radius | 66.3 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 5,710 K |
| constellation | Gemini (Twins) |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Mekbuda
Mekbuda is a Cepheid: a luminous yellow giant whose outer layers swell and shrink in a regular cycle, so that its brightness rises and falls on a fixed schedule over days. Its temperature and size change with each beat.
Cepheids matter because the length of a Cepheid’s cycle reveals how luminous it really is; compare that with how bright it looks, and its distance follows. Stars like Mekbuda are rungs on the ladder used to measure the Galaxy and beyond.
In Gemini it marks the knee of Pollux. The name comes from Arabic for drawn in, the folded paw of a lion in an older figure, paired with Mebsuta, the outstretched paw, on Castor’s side.
What you see in the piece
From Earth Mekbuda is a modest star in the Twins; in the piece it lies far behind Castor and Pollux, its great output carrying it across the distance.
Measured or modelled
Cepheid distances rest on a calibration of the link between cycle length and luminosity, refined over time; the card’s distance comes from the catalogue measurement.
Questions
Is Mekbuda a variable star?
Yes. Mekbuda is a Cepheid variable, a yellow giant that brightens and fades in a regular cycle as it pulsates.