giant · G3III

Capella

Capella is a yellow giant (spectral type G3III) about 43 light-years away. With an apparent magnitude of 0.08 it is one of the brightest stars in the whole sky.

Actually two yellow giant stars orbiting each other every 104 days.

Its light output is roughly 140 times that of the Sun (a rough estimate in visible light, calculated from brightness and distance).

From Germany (52° N) it never sets: it stays above the horizon all year.

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Key facts

Distance
≈ 43 light-years
Spectral type
G3III (giant)
Colour
Yellow
Apparent magnitude
0.08 mag
Luminosity
≈ 140 × Sun
Position
Right ascension 5h 17m, declination 46°

More well-known stars

Data: Hipparcos / HYG catalogue (CC BY-SA 4.0). Luminosity and visibility are calculated estimates.