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How big is Capella?

Capella is 17,000,000 kilomètres

Introduction

Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered how big the stars are? Today, we’re going to dive into the fascinating world of the Capella star, one of the brightest objects in our night sky. It’s not just one star, but a system of four stars! Now, let’s explore this celestial wonder and find out more about its size, and how it compares to other objects in the universe.

The Size of Capella

The Capella star system is made up of four stars, but the two largest ones, known as Capella Aa and Capella Ab, are the ones we’ll focus on. Capella Aa is the cooler and more luminous of the two, and it’s much bigger than our Sun. In fact, it’s about 11.98 times the size of the Sun! To give you an idea, if you lined up almost 12 Suns side by side, they’d be roughly the same size as Capella Aa. Now, that’s a big star! Capella Ab, on the other hand, is slightly smaller than Capella Aa, but it’s still much larger than our Sun. It’s about 8.83 times the size of the Sun. Imagine lining up almost 9 Suns, and there you have the size of Capella Ab.

Comparing the Size of Capella to Other Objects

  • Capella Aa is about 12 times the size of the Sun, while Capella Ab is almost 9 times the size. That’s like comparing a basketball to a small marble! - If Earth was the size of a pea, Capella Aa would be the size of a beach ball. Capella Ab, on the other hand, would be a slightly smaller beach ball. - If we could fit the Sun inside Capella Aa, it would take up only about 8% of its volume. That’s like fitting a grape inside a watermelon!

Capella’s Place in the Universe

Even though Capella Aa and Capella Ab are huge compared to our Sun, they’re actually not the biggest stars out there. There are stars in the universe that are even larger, like Betelgeuse, which is about 700 times the size of the Sun! However, Capella’s size and brightness make it a standout in our night sky. Not only that, but Capella is relatively close to us, just 42.9 light-years away. In the grand scale of the universe, that’s like being neighbors.

Conclusion

The Capella star system is a fascinating part of our universe. Its stars, especially Capella Aa and Capella Ab, are much larger than our Sun, making them stand out in our night sky. By understanding more about these celestial objects, we can appreciate the vastness and wonder of our universe. So, next time you look up at the night sky, try to spot Capella and remember — it’s not just one star, but a group of four, with two of them being much larger than our own Sun!

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