The Andromeda constellation is the 19th largest in the sky, as well as one of the 48 Greek constellations. It has a surface area of 722 square degrees and is located in the northern hemisphere’s first quadrant. The constellation can indeed be observed at latitudes ranging from +90° to -40°. Andromeda, the daughter of Queen Cassiopeia and wife of the Greek hero Perseus, inspired the name of the constellation. It’s even known as the Chained Maiden in English. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) established the three-letter abbreviation And in 1922.
The International Astronomical Union has approved the star names , Adhil (Xi Andromedae), Almach (Gamma Andromedae A), Alpheratz (Alpha Andromedae Aa), Buna (HD 16175), Mirach (Beta Andromedae), Nembus (51 Andromedae), Sterrennacht (HAT-P-6), Titawin (Upsilon Andromedae A), and Veritate (14 Andromedae A). The story behind its name and how it was decided has a huge story behind it. Some call it a myth while some fully believe it. But do you know about the prominent stars in the Andromeda constellation? The Andromeda has a number of stars with confirmed exoplanets in it. Let’s take a closer look at some of the major stars in this constellation and learn some of the scientific terms associated with them.
Alpheratz – α Andromedae (Alpha Andromedae
Also known as Sirrah sometimes, the brightest star is Alpheratz, Alpha Andromedae. The star is 97 light years away from Earth. The binary star Alpheratz has an absolute magnitude of +2.06. It is basically a, hot blue star categorized as a B8 subgiant. With a brightness being 200 times that of the Sun, Alpheratz is the brightest mercury-manganese star known till date. It has a mass of roughly 3.6 solar masses and a surface temperature of about 13,800 K.
The companion star is additionally more enormous than the Sun and has ten times the brightness of the Sun. The two stars encircle each other every 96.7 days.
Mirach {Beta Andromedae}
Mirach, Beta Andromedae, has a similar apparent magnitude to the Alpheratz, ranging from +2.01 to +2.10. It is categorised as a possible semi-regular variable. Mirach is a cold, bright red class M giant located about 200 light years away. It is 1,900 times brighter and 3-4 times heavier than the Sun. It has a hydrogen-fusing companion of magnitude 14. Mirach is a component of the girdle asterism. Mirach is a distorted form of the Arabic word for “girdle,” mizar, which refers to the star’s location at Andromeda’s left hip. Mirach is only seven arcminutes away from the galaxy NGC 404. NGC 404, often known as the Ghost of Mirach, is a dwarf lenticular galaxy about 10 million light years away.
Almach – γ Andromedae (Gamma Andromedae)
The third brightest star in the constellation is Almach, Gamma Andromedae. It’s a multi-star system. Its name is derived from the Arabic al-‘anaq al-‘ard, which translates as “caracal” or “desert lynx.” Almach is roughly 350 light years away. Gamma1 Andromedae, the brighter element of the Almach system, is a golden yellow giant, while its companion is blue. In the sky, the two stars are divided by about 10 arcseconds. The primary star is a bright giant of class K. It has an apparent magnitude of 2.26 and is approximately 355 light years away. It is 2,000 times brighter than the Sun.
Gamma2 Andromedae, the fainter companion star, is a binary star composed of fifth and sixth magnitude white dwarf stars. The more visible component
Nembus – 51 Andromedae
Nembus, or 51 Andromedae, is the fifth brightest star in the celestial sphere, with an apparent magnitude of 3.57. It is a 177 light-year away orange K-type giant. Although Ptolemy placed the star in the constellation Andromeda, Johann Bayer subsequently moved it to Perseus as Upsilon Persei. Later, English astronomer John Flamsteed relocated it to Andromeda, where it remains to this day.
This was all about the beautiful stars in the constellation and the differences they carry in terms of sizes, location and light years. There are numerous stars in the Andromeda celestial sphere but the ones mentioned above are some of the most well known and major stars in it.
