Zosma is a white star on the back of Leo, near the lion’s hindquarters, its Greek name meaning a girdle or loincloth.
At a glance
| type | white star (class A) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 58.4 light-years (17.9 pc) |
| its light left it | 58.4 years ago |
| luminosity | 29.1 × the Sun |
| radius | 2.52 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 8,450 K |
| constellation | Leo (Lion) |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Zosma
The facts describe a white star, larger and more luminous than the Sun, still burning hydrogen in its core and turning quickly.
With Chertan and Denebola it makes the triangle of stars that draws the lion’s rear and tail, east of the Sickle. The name is Greek for a girdle, a band worn about the waist, which is roughly where it sits in the figure.
What you see in the piece
In the piece it is one of the nearer stars of Leo; from space the triangle of the hindquarters splits into stars at different distances.
Questions
How far away is Zosma?
Zosma is 58.4 light-years (17.9 pc) away; its light left it 58.4 years ago.