Achernar
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Achernar
Achernar (Alpha Eridani, α Eri)
The ninth brightest star in the sky but one that is not well known to northern observers as it can only be seen at latitudes below 32°N. Its Arabic name means “river's end” and refers to its location at the southernmost point of Eridanus. Achernar's high spin velocity of at least 225 km/s has led to it becoming a Be star. Observations by the Very Large Telescope, published in 2003, reveal that it is extraordinarily flattened, with an equatorial radius 50% larger than its polar radius. Achernar also shows small, regular light variations of a type that make it a Lambda Eridani star.
The ninth brightest star in the sky but one that is not well known to northern observers as it can only be seen at latitudes below 32°N. Its Arabic name means “river's end” and refers to its location at the southernmost point of Eridanus. Achernar's high spin velocity of at least 225 km/s has led to it becoming a Be star. Observations by the Very Large Telescope, published in 2003, reveal that it is extraordinarily flattened, with an equatorial radius 50% larger than its polar radius. Achernar also shows small, regular light variations of a type that make it a Lambda Eridani star.
| Visual magnitude: | 0.45 |
| Absolute magnitude: | −2.77 |
| Spectral type: | B3V |
| Luminosity: | over 3,000 Lsun |
| Distance: | 144 light-years |
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