Sheratan is the white star in the head of Aries, the Ram, a close binary whose Arabic name refers to the two signs of an ancient equinox.
At a glance
| type | white star (class A) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 58.7 light-years (18 pc) |
| its light left it | 58.7 years ago |
| luminosity | 26.7 × the Sun |
| radius | 2.57 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 8,180 K |
| constellation | Aries (Ram) |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Sheratan
Sheratan is a class A star, white, hotter and more luminous than the Sun. It is a spectroscopic binary: a companion on a tight, strongly elongated orbit betrays itself through the shifting lines of the star’s spectrum.
The name comes from the Arabic for the two signs, meaning Sheratan and its neighbour Mesarthim. In antiquity the Sun crossed the celestial equator at the spring equinox close to this part of the sky, and the pair marked that turning point; the slow wobble of the Earth’s axis has since carried the equinox into Pisces. In the figure it lies between Mesarthim and Hamal on the head of the Ram.
What you see in the piece
Sheratan is a white point in the piece and one of the nearer stars of Aries. Fly away from Earth and the three stars of the Ram’s head separate in depth.
Questions
What does Sheratan mean?
Sheratan comes from the Arabic for the two signs, a name for Sheratan and Mesarthim, which once marked the spring equinox.
How far away is Sheratan?
Sheratan is 58.7 light-years (18 pc) from the Sun.