• Key Information

  • Achernar

  • Type
    Star (binary)
  • Diameter
    2,930,994 to 3,959,868 miles
  • Distance
    193 light years
  • Orbit Time
    14 to 15 years
  • Length of Day (Achernar A)
    46 hours
  • Temperature
    22,351 to 30,363 °F
  • Star Type(s)
    B6 Vep (A) and A1V-A3V (B)
  • Variabe Type
    Be
  • Date of Discovery
    Unknown
  • Learning Point
  • Achernar is a binary star, with the main star in the system being a B type star, which varies in its brightness. It is also the star that is least like a sphere in our Milky Way, being squashed flat by the great speed with which it rotates.
  • Project
  • Create a diagram of the various star types and colors in order of coolest to hottest.
  • Location
  • Located in
    Eridanus constellaton, within the Milky Way
  • Fun Facts
  • The name Achernar comes from Arabic, meaning "end of the river", as the constellation Eridanus is seen as a river in the sky.
  • Achernar is one of the top ten brightest stars in the night sky, however it cannot be seen from places futher north on our planet.
  • It is 3,000 times brighter (more luminous) than our sun.
  • The speed of the stars spin is about 185 miles per second, which means it looks squashed.
  • Its diameter around the equator is 35% wider than around the poles because of the great speed of its spin.