What spectral class is Arcturus?

K1.5IIIFe-0.5Arcturus / Spectral type

What is Arcturus mythology?

Mythology. Arcturus is associated with two different Greek myths. In the one commonly linked with Boötes and Ursa Major, the constellations represent Arcas and Callisto. Arcas was the son of Zeus and Callisto, a nymph and follower of the goddess Artemis.

What stage of its life cycle is Arcturus in?

The star is in the latter stages of its life. Considered a red giant, Arcturus has stopped fusing hydrogen in its core, as the sun does, and astronomers believe it is now starting to fuse heavier elements such as carbon.

What is Arcturus fusing?

As a star that has evolved out of the “main sequence,” Arcturus has fully shifted from the fusion of hydrogen to helium in at its core to the fusion of helium to carbon and oxygen, with trace activity of other nuclear processes. However, Arcturus is somewhat brighter than expected for a stable helium-burning star.

Is Arcturus a binary star?

Hipparcos satellite astrometry suggested that Arcturus is a binary star, with the companion about twenty times dimmer than the primary and orbiting close enough to be at the very limits of humans’ current ability to make it out.

Will Arcturus go supernova?

The star is old and will continue to expand as its helium supply will be consumed. It will eventually blow off its outer layers through a supernova explosion. When this will happen, Arcturus will probably evolve into a white dwarf star and it will be surrounded by a planetary nebula.

What does Arcturus symbolize?

In the Society Islands, Arcturus, called Ana-tahua-taata-metua-te-tupu-mavae (“a pillar to stand by”), was one of the ten “pillars of the sky”, bright stars that represented the ten heavens of the Tahitian afterlife. In Hawaii, the pattern of Boötes was called Hoku-iwa, meaning “stars of the frigatebird”.

What elements are in Arcturus star?

We also determine the mass, radius, and age of Arcturus: M = 1.08+/-0.06 Msun, R = 25.4+/-0.2 Rsun, and t = 7.1(+1.5/-1.2) Gyr. Finally, abundances of the following elements are measured from an equivalent width analysis of atomic features: C, O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, and Zn.

What would happen if Arcturus exploded?

Arcturus, the reddish, fourth-brightest star in the night sky, is at about this distance. The supernova would hang as a blinding point in our sky, like a smaller, but much more dangerous Sun.

What if Alpha Centauri went supernova?

As a supernova, Alpha Centauri could glow almost half as bright as our own sun during the day. At night, it’d generate light thousands of times brighter than our moon. It’d be the lightshow to end all lightshows, only with the caveat of Earth’s own impending doom.

Who is Arcturus in Greek mythology?

The star that was named after Arkas (Arcas), the ancestor of the Arkadians (Arcadians); Arcturus means Guardian of the Bear; the bear he is guarding is his mother, Kallisto (Callisto), i.e. Ursa Major (the Great Bear).