Altair vs Vega
| Property |
Altair |
Vega |
| Designation |
53Alp Aql |
3Alp Lyr |
| Constellation |
Aquila |
Lyra |
| Spectral Class |
Class A — A-type (White) |
Class A — A-type (White) |
| Apparent Magnitude |
+0.76 |
+0.03 |
| Absolute Magnitude |
2.21 |
0.60 |
| Distance |
16.7 ly |
25.0 ly |
| Mass |
N/A |
N/A |
| Radius |
N/A |
N/A |
| Temperature |
N/A |
N/A |
| Luminosity |
N/A |
N/A |
Key Differences
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Both are A-type stars forming part of the Summer Triangle asterism along with Deneb.
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Vega is at 25 light-years; Altair is even closer at 16.7 light-years.
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Altair rotates extremely rapidly (once every 10.4 hours), making it noticeably oblate; Vega also rotates fast but less extremely.
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Vega is about four times more luminous than Altair.
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Vega has a prominent debris disk suggesting possible planetary formation; Altair's disk is less prominent.