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A Journey to the End of Time

The Solar System in 3D, in real time

A simulation of the Solar System driven by real ephemerides. The Sun, the planets, Pluto and the major moons, space probes, the International Space Station, nearby stars and the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way are where they really are at the chosen moment. You can run time from 1700 to 2100, fly from one object to another and look at the sky from anywhere on Earth.

Altair

Star

Facts

Distance
16.5 light-years
Spectral class
A7 V
Surface temperature
from 6850 K at the equator to 8710 K at the poles
Apparent magnitude
0.77
Rotation
2.8 turns a day
Flattening
equator about 22% wider than the poles

Altair is a white main-sequence star of spectral class A7 V: it is the brightest star in the constellation Aquila, 16.5 light-years from Earth, and shines about 10 times more than the Sun. It is one of the three corners of the Summer Triangle, with Vega and Deneb.

It spins so fast, almost three turns a day, that it looks flattened. As a result its equator is cooler and darker than its poles, about 6600 °C against 8400: this is gravity darkening.

Sources