Polaris vs Vega
| Property | Polaris | Vega |
|---|---|---|
| Designation | 1Alp UMi | 3Alp Lyr |
| Constellation | N/A | Lyra |
| Spectral Class | Class F — F-type (Yellow-White) | Class A — A-type (White) |
| Apparent Magnitude | +1.97 | +0.03 |
| Absolute Magnitude | -3.64 | 0.60 |
| Distance | 433 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
- ◆ Polaris is an F-type Cepheid variable supergiant; Vega is a stable A-type main-sequence star.
- ◆ Polaris is 431 light-years away; Vega is much closer at 25 light-years.
- ◆ Polaris sits near the north celestial pole and has guided navigators for centuries; Vega was the pole star ~14,000 years ago.
- ◆ Vega served as the original zero-magnitude reference for the photometric system.
- ◆ Polaris pulsates in brightness; Vega has a debris disk suggesting a forming planetary system.