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
- ◆ Both are A-type stars forming part of the Summer Triangle asterism along with Deneb.
- ◆ Vega is at 25 light-years; Altair is even closer at 16.7 light-years.
- ◆ Altair rotates extremely rapidly (once every 10.4 hours), making it noticeably oblate; Vega also rotates fast but less extremely.
- ◆ Vega is about four times more luminous than Altair.
- ◆ Vega has a prominent debris disk suggesting possible planetary formation; Altair's disk is less prominent.