main-sequence star · A0V
Vega
Vega is a blue-white main-sequence star (spectral type A0V) about 25 light-years away. With an apparent magnitude of 0.03 it is one of the brightest stars in the whole sky.
Long used as the zero point of the brightness scale. In 12,000 years it will be the pole star.
Its light output is roughly 50 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.
Key facts
- Distance
- ≈ 25 light-years
- Spectral type
- A0V (main-sequence star)
- Colour
- Blue-white
- Apparent magnitude
- 0.03 mag
- Luminosity
- ≈ 50 × Sun
- Position
- Right ascension 18h 37m, declination 38.8°
More well-known stars
Data: Hipparcos / HYG catalogue (CC BY-SA 4.0). Luminosity and visibility are calculated estimates.