Kaus
Australis is, at the Second Magnitude, the brightest star in the
Zodiacal constellation of Sagittarius The Archer. Its common name means
"Southern Bow" in a mixture of Arabic (Kaus) and Greek (Australis). Its
formal designation of Epsilon Sagittarii is misleading, as "Epsilon"
stars are usually among the dimmest visible stars in any constellation.
Kaus Australis makes up one end of the Archer's bow. It also belongs to
the asterism known as "The Teapot" or "The Milk Jug." It has been known
since antiquity, and was originally named by the Sumerians and Akkadians
of Mesopotamia, who called it "Ma-Gur."
Kaus Australis is 143 light years from Earth and lies low in the southern sky. It is one of the lesser-known stars, especially since it is the brightest in an important constellation. It is the 48th star in the Nautical Almanac.
It is a blue-white star with 3.5 times the mass of our Sun. It is about seven times the Sun's radius, and 363 times as bright, with a temperature of 17,500 degrees F. This is a high temperature for a star of its type. The star rotates at the very high speed of 528,000 miles per hour and it has a dense halo of stellar material around it like a young star, but scientists think Kaus Australis is in the process of aging out of its Main Sequence even though the star is only about 230 million years old.
Scientists have discovered a binary companion in the midst of Kaus Australis' dust cloud, and there may be other stars in the system as well. Epsilon Sagitarii Beta is about 85% the mass, radius, and brightness of our Sun, and burns at about the same temperature. This very Sun-like Main Sequence star may be forming planets, stealing the dust (as it were) of its larger primary to do so. The two stars are about as far apart as the Sun and the dwarf planet Eris which lies beyond Pluto.
Kaus Australis is 143 light years from Earth and lies low in the southern sky. It is one of the lesser-known stars, especially since it is the brightest in an important constellation. It is the 48th star in the Nautical Almanac.
It is a blue-white star with 3.5 times the mass of our Sun. It is about seven times the Sun's radius, and 363 times as bright, with a temperature of 17,500 degrees F. This is a high temperature for a star of its type. The star rotates at the very high speed of 528,000 miles per hour and it has a dense halo of stellar material around it like a young star, but scientists think Kaus Australis is in the process of aging out of its Main Sequence even though the star is only about 230 million years old.
Scientists have discovered a binary companion in the midst of Kaus Australis' dust cloud, and there may be other stars in the system as well. Epsilon Sagitarii Beta is about 85% the mass, radius, and brightness of our Sun, and burns at about the same temperature. This very Sun-like Main Sequence star may be forming planets, stealing the dust (as it were) of its larger primary to do so. The two stars are about as far apart as the Sun and the dwarf planet Eris which lies beyond Pluto.
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