Posted on 06/27/2015 3:42:59 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Explanation: Rising at the start of a northern summer's night, these three bright stars form the familiar asterism known as the Summer Triangle. Altair, Deneb, and Vega are the alpha stars of their respective constellations, Aquila, Cygnus, and Lyra, nestled near the Milky Way. Close in apparent brightness the three do look similar in these telescopic portraits, but all have their own stellar stories. Their similar appearance hides the fact that the Summer Triangle stars actually span a large range in intrinsic luminosity and distance. A main sequence dwarf star, Altair is some 10 times brighter than the Sun and 17 light-years away, while Vega, also a hydrogen-fusing dwarf, is around 30 times brighter than the Sun and lies 25 light-years away. Supergiant Deneb, at about 54,000 times the solar luminosity, lies some 1,400 light-years distant. Of course, with a whitish blue hue, the stars of the Summer Triangle are all hotter than the Sun.
(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...
[Credit and Copyright: Rogelio Bernal Andreo (Deep Sky Colors)]
ONE light year, the *distance* light travels in a year, at its speed of 186,000 miles per second, works out to about 5.9 TRILLION miles.
And so,
Vega: 25 light years = 147 Trillion miles
Altair: 17 light years = 100 Trillion
Deneb: 1400 light years = 8,260 Trillion
...in other words, if you plan on visiting there, take plenty of snacks for the trip. Also, there are no restrooms along the way.
I plan to use that flying saucer in Queens, and thanks for that snack reminder.
Hmm, very quiet here... Perhaps some of the group have already departed on the long journey.
I demand congress enact a law that uses what ever tax payer funds needed to install rest (trans gender/trans extraterrestrial) stops along any travel routes that might be used. /S(heavy)
:’) I could whip up a list of people I’d like to send, right now. ;’)
Light is pretty darned slow, but time dilation can make up for it and get you there before you have to pee or get hungry.
And these 3 objects are in our own backyard! ...relatively speaking. Imagine going to some remote galaxy 13.5 BILLION light-years away?
13.5 billion x 5.9 trillion...MILES!
Screwy Louie might have a ship you can borrow...Maybe he'll give us a group rate and we can all go together.
The beams are runnin’ all through me, all through me...
I thought a single light year was six trillion? But who’s counting? :-)
Plus, it’s the final frontier.
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