Difference between revisions 1264072 and 1325885 on enwiki

[[Image:Auriga_constellation_map_small.png|thumb|300px|Capella, in the constellation of Auriga]]

'''Capella''' (α Aur / α Aurigae / [[alpha (letter)|Alpha]] Aurigae) is the brightest star in the [[constellation]] [[Auriga (constellation)|Auriga]] and [[list of brightest stars|sixth brightest star]] in the sky.

A yellow star, it traditionally marks the left shoulder of the constellation's eponymous charioteer, or sometimes the goat that the charioteer is carrying. It is closer to the north celestial pole than any other bright star ([[Polaris]] is quite dim by comparison) and as a result has played a significant role in many mythological writings. A tablet dating back to [[2000 BC]] refers to Capella. [[Astrology|Astrologically]], Capella portended civic and [[military]] [[honor]]s and [[wealth]].

[[Astronomy|Astronomically]], Capella's interest lies in the fact that it is an easily-studied non-eclipsing [[spectroscopic binary]] star. These two [[stellar classification|giant G-class]] stars have luminosities of around 50 and 80 times that of the [[Sun]] and lie less than 100 million km apart with an orbital period of 104.02 days. Capella is a source of [[X-ray]]s, probably due to surface magnetic activity on one of the pair. Capella was the first star to be imaged using a long baseline [[Optical_interferometry#Astronomical_Optical_Interferometry|optical interferometer]] in observations by [[Cambridge Optical Aperture Synthesis Telescope (COAST)|COAST]] in [[1995]].

The central stars also have a faint companion that is itself a double star, consisting of two M-class [[red dwarf]] stars, that orbit at around a light year away from the main pair.

The name Capella means 'little she goat' in [[Latin_language|Latin]], as in [[Roman mythology]] the star represented the goat [[Amalthea_%28mythology%29|Amalthea]] that suckled [[Jupiter_(god)|Jupiter]]. It was this goat whose horn, after accidentally being broken off by Jupiter, was transformed into the [[Cornucopia]], or "horn of plenty", which would be filled with whatever its owner desired. 

In [[Hindu mythology]], Capella was seen as the heart of [[Brahma]]. The star is also often labelled "the shepherd's star" in English literature.

== Facts ==

* [[Right ascension]] (J2000): 5h 16m 41.4s
* [[Declination]] (J2000): +45° 59' 53"
* Distance from Earth: 42.2 [[light year]]s
* [[Parallax]]: 77.29 ± 0.89 [[milliarcsecond|mas]]
* [[apparent magnitude|Apparent visual magnitude]]: 0.08
* [[absolute magnitude|Absolute visual magnitude]]: −0.5
* [[Spectral type]]: G5IIIe+G0III
* Mass: 2.5 Solar masses

== Alternative and former names ==

* [[Akkadian]]: Dil-gan I-ku, "Messenger of Light", or Dil-gan Babill, "Patron star of Babylon"
* [[Arabic]]: Alhajoth, "Goat"
* [[Hindu]]: Brahma Ridaya, "Heart of Brahma"
* [[Inca]]: Colca
* [[Roman]]: Amalthea

Alternative catalogue names include
[[John_Flamsteed|Flamsteed]] 13 Aurigae;
[[Henry Draper Catalogue|HD]] 34029; 
[[Harvard Revised catalogue|HR]] 1708

[[Category:Auriga constellation]]
[[Category:Binary stars]]
[[Category:Bayer objects|Aurigae, Alpha]]
[[Category:Yellow giants]]

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