Ukdah is an orange giant in the body of Hydra, one of the faint stars that carry the long Water Snake eastwards from its bright heart, Alphard.
At a glance
| type | orange giant (class K) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 263 light-years (80.7 pc) |
| its light left it | 263 years ago |
| luminosity | 247 × the Sun |
| radius | 24.8 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 4,600 K |
| constellation | Hydra (Female Water Snake) |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Ukdah
The card describes a giant star, larger and more luminous than the Sun and cooler at the surface, so it glows orange. It has moved past the long, steady hydrogen-burning stage of its life.
It lies in the coils of the snake east of Alphard, in a region of sky with few bright stars; Hydra’s length is made of stars like this one, each faint, together tracing the longest figure in the sky.
What you see in the piece
In the piece Ukdah is drawn at its true distance and brightness; seen from outside the solar neighbourhood the snake’s chain of stars falls apart into unrelated points.
Questions
How far away is Ukdah?
Ukdah is 263 light-years (80.7 pc) away; its light left it 263 years ago.