bright giant · B2II
Adhara
Adhara is a blue bright giant (spectral type B2II) about 430 light-years away. With an apparent magnitude of 1.5 it is a very bright, conspicuous star.
The second-brightest star in Canis Major. About 4.7 million years ago it was the brightest star in the whole sky.
Its light output is roughly 3,700 times that of the Sun (a rough estimate in visible light, calculated from brightness and distance).
From Germany (52° N) it rises and sets; it is best seen in the evening in January.
Key facts
- Distance
- ≈ 430 light-years
- Spectral type
- B2II (bright giant)
- Colour
- Blue
- Apparent magnitude
- 1.5 mag
- Luminosity
- ≈ 3,700 × Sun
- Position
- Right ascension 6h 59m, declination -29°
More well-known stars
Data: Hipparcos / HYG catalogue (CC BY-SA 4.0). Luminosity and visibility are calculated estimates.