Admin Table of Contents
Where can you see Achernar?
From the latitude of these cities (about 25 degrees north), the bottom part of constellation Eridanus the River may be seen just above the southern horizon. It’s from this latitude, or farther south on Earth’s globe, that you can see Achernar, the famous star that marks the end of the constellation Eridanus the River.
Where is Spica in the sky?
RA 13h 25m 12s | Dec -11° 9′ 41″
Spica/Coordinates
What galaxy is Achernar in?
The separation of the two stars is roughly 12.3 AU and their orbital period is at least 14–15 years. As of 2003, Achernar is the least spherical star in the Milky Way studied to date. It spins so rapidly that it has assumed the shape of an oblate spheroid with an equatorial diameter 56% greater than its polar diameter.
How long will Achernar last?
It is now normally fusing hydrogen into helium in its deep core and will eventually die as a massive white dwarf like Sirius B. All this action is watched by a close companion that averages roughly a dozen Astronomical Units away from Achernar proper with an orbital period estimated to be around 12 years.
How do you identify Spica?
You may see Spica about a third of the way up the sky in the southeast once darkness falls (as seen from the mid-northern United States). You can find Spica by first looking up high in the north at the Big Dipper. Follow the arc of the Dipper’s “handle” in a long curve first to the star Arcturus, and then to Spica.
Is achernar a white dwarf?
Although Achernar is a massive star, it is still young enough to be fusing hydrogen into helium in its core and may be small enough to evolve off the sequence as a massive white dwarf like Sirius B….Achernar.
| Star System | Spectra & Luminosity | Distance (light-years) |
|---|---|---|
| CD-51 311 | F5 V | 19 |
Where is Achernar located?
Achernar is located in the Southern corner of the constellation Eridanus. It is also known as Alpha Eridani, HR 472 and HD 10144. It is located a mere 139 light-years from Earth; 817 trillion miles or 1,314 trillion kilometers.
Is Achernar mentioned in the Almagest?
Achernar is the only first-magnitude star not mentioned in Ptolemy’s Almagest. Achernar remained unknown in the northern hemisphere until the age of discovery. The first star catalogue to include the star on the map of Eridanus is Johann Bayer’s Uranometria (1603).
What is the declination of Achernar and Acamar?
Achernar and Acamar are among the 18 southern navigational stars with a declination between 30° S and 90° S.
Where did the name Acamar come from?
The name was originally used for Theta Eridani, which now has the proper name Acamar, derived from the same phrase. Eridanus is one of the Greek constellations and, since the Greeks could not see Achernar, it was Acamar that marked the celestial river’s end.