What is Vega?
Q: What is Vega?
A: Vega is the brightest star in the constellation Lyra and the fifth brightest star in the night sky. It is a relatively close star at only 25 light-years from Earth, and one of the most luminous stars in the Sun's neighborhood.
Q: How long ago was Vega the northern pole star?
A: Vega was the northern pole star around 12,000 BC and will be so again around 13,727.
Q: What are some of its notable features?
A: Vega has been extensively studied by astronomers, making it "arguably the next most important star in the sky after the Sun". It was also one of first stars whose distance was estimated through parallax measurements, as well as being used to calibrate astronomical brightness scale. Additionally, it has an excess emission of infrared radiation which suggests it has a circumstellar disk of dust.
Q: How old is Vega compared to our sun?
A: Vega is only about a tenth of age of our sun but since it is 2.1 times more massive its expected lifetime is also one tenth that of our sun. Both stars are near midpoint their life expectancies currently.
Q: What elements does Vega have?
A: Not much - mainly helium with some heavier elements present as well.
Q: Is there any evidence for planets orbiting around Vega? A: Irregularities in its disk suggest that there may be at least one planet about size Jupiter orbiting around it.
