Aldebaran vs Kornephoros

Kornephoros shows +2.78 to the eye where Aldebaran shows +0.87, about 5.8 times less light. Intrinsically the balance shifts: Aldebaran carries an absolute magnitude of −0.68 against −0.37 for Kornephoros, making it about 1.3 times more luminous once distance is removed from the comparison. Spectroscopically Aldebaran resolves as a K-type star in Taurus and Kornephoros as a G-type star in Hercules.

Property comparison

Property Aldebaran Kornephoros
Designation 87Alp Tau 27Bet Her
Constellation Taurus Hercules
Spectral Class Class K — K-type (Orange) Class G — G-type (Yellow)
Apparent Magnitude +0.87 +2.78
Absolute Magnitude -0.68 -0.37
Distance 66.6 ly 139 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: Aldebaran · Kornephoros

Key differences

Key Differences

  • ◆ Both are evolved yellow-orange giant stars and the brightest in their respective constellations.
  • ◆ Kornephoros is the brightest star in Hercules despite its Beta designation.
  • ◆ Aldebaran is slightly more evolved with a larger radius (~44 R☉) versus Kornephoros (~17 R☉).
  • ◆ Aldebaran is closer at ~65 light-years; Kornephoros is ~139 light-years away.
  • ◆ Aldebaran lies in front of the Hyades cluster but is unrelated; Kornephoros is an isolated giant.
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