Zaurak is a red giant in the northern course of Eridanus, the river, a cool swollen star whose Arabic name refers to a boat.
At a glance
| type | red giant (class M) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 203 light-years (62.3 pc) |
| its light left it | 203 years ago |
| luminosity | 783 × the Sun |
| radius | 70 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 3,650 K |
| constellation | Eridanus (River) |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Zaurak
Zaurak is a class M giant, cool at its surface and swollen to many times the Sun’s width in a late stage of its life. Its size makes it much more luminous than the Sun, and its reddish colour shows in binoculars.
The name comes from an Arabic phrase meaning the bright one of the boat. In the long figure of the river it lies on the northern course, the stretch that winds west from near Rigel towards Cetus.
What you see in the piece
In the piece Zaurak is an orange-red point, its colour set by its cool surface. Like every star of the river, it lies at its own distance, and the river disappears as soon as you leave Earth.
Questions
How big is Zaurak?
Zaurak’s radius is 70 times the Sun’s, and it shines 783 times as brightly.