Polarstern vs Schedar

Property Polarstern Schedar
Bezeichnung 1Alp UMi 18Alp Cas
Sternbild N/A Cassiopeia
Spektralklasse Class F — F-type (Yellow-White) Class K — K-type (Orange)
Scheinbare Helligkeit +1.97 +2.24
Absolute Helligkeit -3.64 -1.98
Entfernung 433 ly 228 ly
Masse N/A N/A
Radius N/A N/A
Temperatur N/A N/A
Leuchtkraft N/A N/A

Key Differences

  • Both are bright northern circumpolar stars useful for orientation near the north celestial pole.
  • Polaris (F-type Cepheid) is currently ~0.7° from the true north pole; Schedar is the brightest star in the W-shaped Cassiopeia.
  • Schedar is a K-type orange giant at ~228 light-years; Polaris is an F-type supergiant at ~431 light-years.
  • Cassiopeia (containing Schedar) and Ursa Minor (containing Polaris) are on opposite sides of the pole.
  • As the pole precesses, Schedar will become a closer pole star in the distant future.

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