Zubeneschamali is the brightest star of Libra, the northern claw of the old Scorpion, a hot blue-white star some observers have called green.
At a glance
| type | blue-white star (class B) |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 185 light-years (56.8 pc) |
| its light left it | 185 years ago |
| luminosity | 467 × the Sun |
| radius | 5.17 × the Sun |
| surface temperature | 11,800 K |
| constellation | Libra (Scales) |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Zubeneschamali
Zubeneschamali is a blue-white star of class B, hotter than the Sun, wider and far more luminous. It spins rapidly, as many hot stars do.
Its name comes from the Arabic for the northern claw, partner of Zubenelgenubi, the southern claw, from when Libra’s stars belonged to Scorpius. It has a reputation as the only star that looks green to the naked eye; no star truly appears green, and the effect is down to the eye and the observer.
What you see in the piece
Its colour is its temperature: in the piece Zubeneschamali is blue-white, not green. Fly out and it pulls far away from Zubenelgenubi, which lies much closer to the Sun.
Questions
Is Zubeneschamali green?
No star truly looks green; Zubeneschamali is a blue-white star (class B) with a surface temperature of 11,800 K, and the green some observers report is a trick of perception.