Yed Posterior is a yellow giant in the hand of Ophiuchus, the follower in a pair of stars that look like neighbours but lie far apart.
At a glance
| type | yellow star (class G) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 106 light-years (32.6 pc) |
| its light left it | 106 years ago |
| luminosity | 57.4 × the Sun |
| radius | 8.95 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 5,310 K |
| constellation | Ophiuchus (Serpent Bearer) |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Yed Posterior
Yed Posterior, Epsilon Ophiuchi, is a yellow giant: a star somewhat more massive than the Sun that has left its long hydrogen-burning life behind and expanded. Its surface is a little cooler than the Sun’s, its output many times greater.
Its name pairs the Arabic for hand with the Latin posterior, the one that comes after: it follows Yed Prior across the sky. Together they mark the hand with which Ophiuchus holds the serpent.
What you see in the piece
Its colour in the piece is close to the Sun’s. Leave Earth and its partner Yed Prior falls back into the distance behind it.
Questions
How far away is Yed Posterior?
Yed Posterior is 106 light-years (32.6 pc) from the Sun, much closer than Yed Prior.
Are Yed Prior and Yed Posterior a binary?
No. They only line up from Earth; they lie at very different distances and are not bound to each other.