Fomalhaut vs Wega
A gap of 1.14 magnitudes puts Wega clearly ahead overhead, +0.03 to +1.17. Both lie at a comparable distance from the Sun — 25.1 light-years for Fomalhaut and 25.0 for Wega. Intrinsically the balance shifts: Wega carries an absolute magnitude of +0.60 against +1.74 for Fomalhaut, making it about 2.9 times more luminous once distance is removed from the comparison. By spectral type the pair divides into an A-type star for Fomalhaut and an A-type star in Lyra for Wega.
Property comparison
| Property | Fomalhaut | Wega |
|---|---|---|
| Bezeichnung | 24Alp PsA | 3Alp Lyr |
| Sternbild | N/A | Lyra |
| Spektralklasse | Class A — A-type (White) | Class A — A-type (White) |
| Scheinbare Helligkeit | +1.17 | +0.03 |
| Absolute Helligkeit | 1.74 | 0.60 |
| Entfernung | 25.1 ly | 25.0 ly |
| Masse | N/A | N/A |
| Radius | N/A | N/A |
| Temperatur | N/A | N/A |
| Leuchtkraft | N/A | N/A |
Full data for each star: Fomalhaut · Wega
Key differences
Key Differences
- ◆ Both are young A-type benchmark stars with prominent debris disks, used to calibrate stellar and planetary evolution models.
- ◆ Fomalhaut is the southernmost autumn star easily seen from northern mid-latitudes.
- ◆ Vega is approximately 1.9 times more massive than Fomalhaut.
- ◆ Both have been candidate targets for direct imaging of orbiting companions.
- ◆ Fomalhaut is one of only 18 stars with disks resolved by Hubble; Vega's disk was first revealed by IRAS in 1983.