Delta Sagittarii
Encyclopedia
Delta Sagittarii is a star system
in the constellation
Sagittarius
. It has the traditional names Kaus Media, Kaus Meridionalis, and Media. Kaus Media is 306 light years from Earth
and radiates with a total luminosity
of 1180 times that of the Sun
. The radius of Delta Sgr is 62 times solar while its mass is about 5 times the solar mass
.
Kaus Media has an apparent magnitude
of +2.72 and belongs to the spectral type
K3. It has three dim companions:
It is not certain that these stars form a physical system or whether they are merely aligned by chance.
In the Hindu system of astrology, this star is also called "Purvashada Nakshatra". In ancient Chinese astronomy, it is the 4th star of 6 stars in the Dipper
or 'South Dipper' mansion of the Black Tortoise of the North.
قوس qaws 'bow' and Latin
media 'middle'.
Star system
A star system or stellar system is a small number of stars which orbit each other, bound by gravitational attraction. A large number of stars bound by gravitation is generally called a star cluster or galaxy, although, broadly speaking, they are also star systems.-Binary star systems:A stellar...
in the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
Sagittarius
Sagittarius (constellation)
Sagittarius is a constellation of the zodiac, the one containing the galactic center. Its name is Latin for the archer, and its symbol is , a stylized arrow. Sagittarius is commonly represented as a centaur drawing a bow...
. It has the traditional names Kaus Media, Kaus Meridionalis, and Media. Kaus Media is 306 light years from Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
and radiates with a total luminosity
Luminosity
Luminosity is a measurement of brightness.-In photometry and color imaging:In photometry, luminosity is sometimes incorrectly used to refer to luminance, which is the density of luminous intensity in a given direction. The SI unit for luminance is candela per square metre.The luminosity function...
of 1180 times that of the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
. The radius of Delta Sgr is 62 times solar while its mass is about 5 times the solar mass
Solar mass
The solar mass , , is a standard unit of mass in astronomy, used to indicate the masses of other stars and galaxies...
.
Kaus Media has an apparent magnitude
Apparent magnitude
The apparent magnitude of a celestial body is a measure of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, adjusted to the value it would have in the absence of the atmosphere...
of +2.72 and belongs to the spectral type
Stellar classification
In astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of stars based on their spectral characteristics. The spectral class of a star is a designated class of a star describing the ionization of its chromosphere, what atomic excitations are most prominent in the light, giving an objective measure...
K3. It has three dim companions:
- Delta Sagittarii B, a 14th magnitude star at a separation of 26 arcseconds,
- Delta Sagittarii C, a 15th magnitude star at a separation of 40 arcseconds, and
- Delta Sagittarii D, a 13th magnitude star at a separation of 58 arcseconds from the primary.
It is not certain that these stars form a physical system or whether they are merely aligned by chance.
In the Hindu system of astrology, this star is also called "Purvashada Nakshatra". In ancient Chinese astronomy, it is the 4th star of 6 stars in the Dipper
Dipper (Chinese constellation)
The Dipper mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the northern mansions of the Black Tortoise.-Asterisms:-Stars:* ζ Sgr* τ Sgr* σ Sgr* φ Sgr* λ Sgr* μ Sgr...
or 'South Dipper' mansion of the Black Tortoise of the North.
Etymology
The name Kaus Media comes from the ArabicArabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
قوس qaws 'bow' and Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
media 'middle'.
See also
- Delta Sagittarii in fiction