Mirfak is the brightest star of Perseus, a luminous yellow-white supergiant at the heart of a scattered cluster of young blue stars, the Alpha Persei Cluster.
At a glance
| type | yellow-white giant (class F) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 506 light-years (155 pc) |
| its light left it | 506 years ago |
| luminosity | 4,050 × the Sun |
| radius | 48 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 6,650 K |
| constellation | Perseus (Hero) |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Mirfak
Mirfak is a class F star of great size and power, swollen to many times the Sun’s width and shining far more brightly. It is a massive star that has finished burning hydrogen in its core and moved into a short, luminous stage of its life.
Around it lies the Alpha Persei Cluster, a loose group of young hot stars that binoculars show as a rich field of blue-white points around the yellowish Mirfak. The star is thought to be a member, born with the cluster.
The name comes from the Arabic for the elbow. It is also listed among the stars used for celestial navigation.
What you see in the piece
In the piece the cluster’s stars share Mirfak’s distance and stay around it when you fly there, unlike the rest of Perseus, whose stars fall apart in depth.
Questions
What is the brightest star in Perseus?
Mirfak, Alpha Persei, is the brightest star of Perseus, a yellow-white supergiant 506 light-years (155 pc) away.
What is the Alpha Persei Cluster?
It is a loose cluster of young hot stars gathered around Mirfak, best seen in binoculars.