Deneb vs Vega
Distance alone puts 56 times between Vega and Deneb, 25.0 and 1,412 light-years. Seen from Earth the ranking is Vega first at +0.03, Deneb second at +1.25. By spectral type the pair divides into an A-type star in Cygnus for Deneb and an A-type star in Lyra for Vega.
Property comparison
| Property | Deneb | Vega |
|---|---|---|
| Designation | 50Alp Cyg | 3Alp Lyr |
| Constellation | Cygnus | Lyra |
| Spectral Class | Class A — A-type (White) | Class A — A-type (White) |
| Apparent Magnitude | +1.25 | +0.03 |
| Absolute Magnitude | -6.93 | 0.60 |
| Distance | 1,412 ly | 25.0 ly |
| Mass | N/A | N/A |
| Radius | N/A | N/A |
| Temperature | N/A | N/A |
| Luminosity | N/A | N/A |
Full data for each star: Deneb · Vega
Key differences
Key Differences
- ◆ Both are A-type stars in the Summer Triangle, but they differ enormously in distance and luminosity.
- ◆ Vega is only 25 light-years away; Deneb is the most distant first-magnitude star at ~2,615 light-years.
- ◆ Deneb is intrinsically about 196,000 times more luminous than the Sun; Vega is 40 times more luminous.
- ◆ Vega was the original photometric zero-magnitude reference star.
- ◆ Deneb is a white supergiant with a radius ~203 R☉; Vega is a near-main-sequence star with radius ~2.4 R☉.