Altair

Alpha Aquilae

Aquila

0.77
Apparent Mag
16.73
Distance (ly)
A7V
Spectral Type
7,670
Temperature (K)

Altair is the brightest star in Aquila and the twelfth-brightest in the night sky. It rotates rapidly, completing a rotation in about 10 hours, which gives it a noticeably oblate shape.

Stellar Data

Apparent Magnitude0.77
Absolute Magnitude2.21
Distance16.73 light-years
Spectral TypeA7V
Temperature7,670 K
Luminosity10.6 L☉
Radius1.63 R☉
Mass1.79 M☉
Right Ascension19h 50m 47.0s
Declination+08° 52′ 06.0″
ConstellationAquila

Notable Facts

  • Altair rotates in about 10 hours, making it significantly oblate
  • It forms one vertex of the Summer Triangle asterism
  • Its rapid rotation was the first to be directly imaged using interferometry

More Stars in Aquila

View constellation