Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Cepheus (Cep)  ·  Contains:  Erakis (μ Cep)  ·  IC 1396  ·  The star The Garnet Star
Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
IC 1396 and the Garnet Star, Jorge Olier
IC 1396 and the Garnet Star
Powered byPixInsight

IC 1396 and the Garnet Star

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
IC 1396 and the Garnet Star, Jorge Olier
IC 1396 and the Garnet Star
Powered byPixInsight

IC 1396 and the Garnet Star

Equipment

Loading...

Acquisition details

Loading...

Description

The red star at the right edge of the Elephant trunk nebula is Mu Cephei, known as Herschel's garnet star because of its deep red color. Mu Cephei is not related to this nebula and is located approximately 500 light-years farther away from us. It is one of the largest known stars, a red hypergiant with a diameter of about 2 billion km, at an undetermined distance of about 3,000 light-years. If the diameter of our Sun is about 110 times the diameter of the Earth, Mu Cephei has a diameter of about 1,400 solar diameters. Placed where the Sun is, its outer edge would greatly exceed the orbit of Saturn.

We inhabit a negligible space and only our understanding can compare with the enormous dimensions of the universe. Let us make the most of it.

Comments

Sky plot

Sky plot

Histogram

IC 1396 and the Garnet Star, Jorge Olier