Antares vs Kaus Australis
From M to B is nearly the whole Harvard sequence, Antares against Kaus Australis. Corrected for distance, Antares outproduces Kaus Australis by some 29 times, absolute magnitudes −5.09 and −1.42. Antares is the remoter of the pair at 554 light-years, roughly 3.9 times the 143 that separates us from Kaus Australis.
Property comparison
| Property | Antares | Kaus Australis |
|---|---|---|
| Designation | 21Alp Sco | 20Eps Sgr |
| Constellation | Scorpius | Sagittarius |
| Spectral Class | Class M — M-type (Red) | Class B — B-type (Blue-White) |
| Apparent Magnitude | +1.06 | +1.79 |
| Absolute Magnitude | -5.09 | -1.42 |
| Distance | 554 ly | 143 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: Antares · Kaus Australis
Key differences
Key Differences
- ◆ Both are among the brightest stars in the summer southern sky from mid-latitudes.
- ◆ Antares is a famous red supergiant; Kaus Australis is a blue-white B-type giant — very different spectral types.
- ◆ Antares is the heart of Scorpius; Kaus Australis is the brightest star in Sagittarius, marking the Teapot.
- ◆ Both are visible on the same summer evenings, making them easy to compare directly in the sky.
- ◆ Antares is far more luminous at ~75,900 L☉ versus Kaus Australis at ~363 L☉.