Tarazed is the orange giant just beside Altair in Aquila, one of the pair of stars that flank the eagle’s brightest star like an escort.
At a glance
| type | orange giant (class K) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 395 light-years (121 pc) |
| its light left it | 395 years ago |
| luminosity | 1,650 × the Sun |
| radius | 63.9 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 4,600 K |
| constellation | Aquila (Eagle) |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Tarazed
It is an orange giant of class K, swollen to many times the Sun’s width and shining far more brightly. Its cool surface gives it a warm colour that stands out next to brilliant white Altair.
Tarazed is Gamma Aquilae. Its name, like that of Alshain on Altair’s other side, comes from a Persian phrase for the stars of the eagle, the falcon of the balance. The three stars in a short line make Aquila easy to find in the summer Milky Way.
What you see in the piece
From Earth, Tarazed, Altair and Alshain look like a tight family. In the piece Altair is a near neighbour, and Tarazed lies many times further away: it only appears close because of where we stand.
Questions
Which star is next to Altair?
The two stars that flank Altair are Tarazed, an orange giant, and Alshain, a fainter yellow star. They line up with Altair but lie at very different distances.