Фомальгаут vs Вега

A gap of 1.14 magnitudes puts Вега clearly ahead overhead, +0.03 to +1.17. Both lie at a comparable distance from the Sun — 25.1 light-years for Фомальгаут and 25.0 for Вега. Intrinsically the balance shifts: Вега carries an absolute magnitude of +0.60 against +1.74 for Фомальгаут, 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 Фомальгаут and an A-type star in Lyra for Вега.

Property comparison

Property Фомальгаут Вега
Обозначение 24Alp PsA 3Alp Lyr
Созвездие N/A Lyra
Спектральный класс Class A — A-type (White) Class A — A-type (White)
Видимая звёздная величина +1.17 +0.03
Абсолютная звёздная величина 1.74 0.60
Расстояние 25.1 ly 25.0 ly
Масса N/A N/A
Радиус N/A N/A
Температура N/A N/A
Светимость N/A N/A

Full data for each star: Фомальгаут · Вега

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.
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