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About once every 12.5 hours
- Vega rotates on its axis about once every 12.5 hours. By comparison, the Sun takes 27 days to complete a full rotation. Spinning so fast makes Vega cooler and wider at its equator. Vega is bulging at the equator and flattened at the poles.
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Vega has a rotation period of 16.3 hours, [14] much faster than the Sun's rotational period but similar to, and slightly slower than, those of Jupiter and Saturn. Because of that, Vega is significantly oblate like those two planets.
- Contents
- Why Is Vega So Important?
- Vega (Alpha Lyrae) – Key Star Facts
- Where Is The Star Vega – Constellation Lyra
- Vega Myths
- Fun Star Facts About Vega
- Bottom Line
For thousands of years, the star Vega has been observed by humans, with records found in ancient Chinese, Arabic, and Greek astronomy. In recent history, astronomers chose it as a reference point for measuring other stars’ color and apparent brightness. Today, scientists are studying Vega to learn about the early stages of stellar evolution and to ...
Official name: Alpha Lyrae, α LyrAlternative names: Wega, Alf Lyr, Al-Waqi'Catalog designations: HIP 91262, HR 7001, HD 172167, TYC 3105-2070-1Constellation: LyraVega is the brightest star of the Lyra constellation, one of the smallest constellations in the night sky. It is also part of a larger asterism known as the Summer Triangle. It’s easy to find Vega and other stars with stargazing apps like Sky Tonight. Read on to get the step-by-step guide.
Vega was mentioned in many ancient myths, including Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Greek, and Arabic. Some of these myths have left their marks on the name of the star and its constellation.
The first star to be photographed
On July 17, 1850, Vega became the first star other than our Sun to be photographed. Astronomers James Adams Whipple and William Cranch Bond captured the star using the daguerreotype technique. They focused Vega's light on a photosensitive silver-plated copper sheet and exposed it for about 20 minutes using the 15-inch refractor at Harvard College Observatory. Over two decades later, in August 1872, the star made history again. This time, amateur astronomer Henry Draper photographed Vega's spe...
Vega may have a planet
In recent years, astronomers discovered that Vega may have a large asteroid belt similar to our own Solar System’s Asteroid and Kuiper belts. The data revealed two distinct belts around Vega: a warm inner belt and a cool outer belt, with a gap in between. Scientists believe that this gap could be home to multiple planets orbiting the star. A study published in The Astronomical Journalsuggests that evidence has been found for at least one such planet. This planet is believed to be as large as...
Our past and future North Star
Our modern Polaris seems motionless, but it slowly shifts across the sky in a circuit that takes about 26,000 years, giving way to other stars near the north celestial pole. This motion is due to the precession of the Earth's axis. Around 12,000 BCE, the Paleolithic people observed Vega as the North Star instead of Alpha Ursae Minoris. And in the future, by around 13,600, Vega will become the North Star again.
Vega is one of the brightest stars in the sky and plays a unique role in astronomy. For a long time, it was the absolute reference for the brightness and color of stars, and now it continues to be studied because it may have a planet. In 13,000 years, it will be the new North Star, the brightest of the following millennia. Get to know this brillian...
Sep 7, 2022 · Gaseous objects like stars flex as they spin, so Vega's speedy rotation has stretched it into an egg-like shape called an oblate spheroid. Its equator diameter is 2.82 times that of the Sun, with a polar diameter of 2.36 solar, a difference of 19 percent.
Jan 8, 2020 · Rotation. Vega has a very rapid rotation. It rotates once every 12.5 hours, with a speed of 236 km/ 146.6 mi per second, at the equator. This produces a pronounced equatorial bulge, so the radius of the equator is 19% larger than the polar radius.
Jan 31, 2019 · This shape comes from the star’s rapid rotation: It completes one rotation every 12.5 hours, more akin to Jupiter’s 10-hour spin than the Sun’s 27-day rotation. As with the Sun, Vega’s equator is expected to turn faster than its poles, as all gaseous bodies do.
Nov 5, 2023 · Vega completes a full rotation around its axis every 12.5 hours. For comparison, the Sun takes just over 25 days even though it is considerably smaller.
Nov 9, 2018 · The star, which rotates every 12.5 hours, is at 90 percent of its critical rotation speed, or the velocity at which the object would tear itself apart.
