Tarf is an orange giant and the brightest star of Cancer, a dim constellation, a star that has swollen far larger than the Sun as its core ran dry.
At a glance
| type | orange giant (class K) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 303 light-years (93 pc) |
| its light left it | 303 years ago |
| luminosity | 515 × the Sun |
| radius | 39.1 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 4,400 K |
| constellation | Cancer (Crab) |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Tarf
Tarf is a giant: with its core hydrogen gone it has expanded far beyond the Sun’s size and cooled to orange at the surface, while its total output has grown well beyond the Sun’s.
Cancer, the Crab, is the faintest of the zodiac figures, and even its brightest star is modest to the eye. Tarf lies at its south-western end, while the Beehive cluster sits in the middle of the Crab.
What you see in the piece
Tarf is the brightest point in a dim figure; flown out to, it stays alone at its distance while the Beehive and the rest of the Crab lie elsewhere along the line of sight.
Questions
What is the brightest star in Cancer?
The brightest star in Cancer is Tarf, an orange giant 515 times as luminous as the Sun.