Altair

Altair (ăltä'ir) [key], brightest star in the constellation Aquila (Eagle); Bayer designation α Aquilae; 1992 position R.A. 19^h50.5^m, Dec. +8°51'. Its apparent magnitude is 0.74, making it one of the 20 brightest stars in the sky, and it is of spectral class A7 IV,V. Altair is one of the nearest bright stars, its distance being 16.8 light-years.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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