Wasat is a yellow-white star in the middle of Gemini, lying close to the ecliptic, and the star beside which Pluto was first found.
At a glance
| type | yellow-white star (class F) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 60.5 light-years (18.5 pc) |
| its light left it | 60.5 years ago |
| luminosity | 12.1 × the Sun |
| radius | 2.17 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 7,300 K |
| constellation | Gemini (Twins) |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Wasat
Wasat is a star a little hotter, larger and brighter than the Sun, still burning hydrogen in its core, with fainter companions. It is near enough that an ordinary star like this is easy to see.
The name comes from Arabic for the middle, and it sits in the middle of the body of Pollux, the eastern twin. Because it lies almost on the ecliptic, the planets pass close to it, and Pluto was discovered on photographs of the sky in this region, near Wasat.
What you see in the piece
Wasat is one of the nearer stars of Gemini, so it slides past quickly as you fly into the figure; Pluto, close to it on the sky, sits right beside the Sun in the piece.
Questions
What does Wasat mean?
Wasat comes from Arabic for the middle; it lies at the middle of Gemini.
Was Pluto discovered near Wasat?
Yes. Pluto was found on photographs of the sky in Gemini, close to Wasat, which lies near the ecliptic.