Achernar vs Altair

Property Achernar Altair
Designación Alp Eri 53Alp Aql
Constelación N/A Aquila
Clase Espectral Class B — B-type (Blue-White) Class A — A-type (White)
Magnitud Aparente +0.45 +0.76
Magnitud Absoluta -2.70 2.21
Distancia 139 ly 16.7 ly
Masa N/A N/A
Radio N/A N/A
Temperatura N/A N/A
Luminosidad N/A N/A

Key Differences

  • Both are among the most rapidly rotating known stars and are significantly oblate as a result.
  • Altair rotates in ~10.4 hours and has been directly imaged to confirm its flattened disk-like shape.
  • Achernar's equatorial diameter is 56% wider than its poles — the most flattened bright star known.
  • Altair is an A-type star; Achernar is a hotter B-type star.
  • Altair is very close at 16.7 light-years; Achernar is 139 light-years away.

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