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Epsilon Arietis

48 Arietis

White subgiant in Aries

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Proper Name	None
Bayer Designation	Epsilon Arietis
Flamsteed Number	48 Arietis
HR (BSC)	888 (A), 887 (B)
HD	18520 (A), 18519 (B)
Constellation	Aries
Right Ascension	2h 59m 13s (A), 2h 59m 13s (B)
Declination	+21° 20' 26" (A), +21° 20' 24" (B)
Distance	332 light years 102 parsecs
Magnitude	Apparent: +4.63 (combined), +5.16 (A), +5.57 (B) Absolute: -0.41 (combined), +0.12 (A), +0.53 (B)
Spectral Class	A2IV white subgiant (A), A3IVs white subgiant (B)
Optimum Visibility	November
Notes	The two stars that make up this binary system are remarkably similar to one another. Each is a white subgiant (though some sources prefer to classify the stars as belonging to the main sequence), and each has mass some 2.4 times that of the Sun.

Imagery provided by Aladin sky atlas

Close inspection of Epsilon Arietis reveals that it is actually a binary system: two white stars of similar mass and luminosity follow long slow orbits around one another.

The white light of this pair of massive stars is dimmed somewhat by their great distance: more than three hundred light years from Earth. Nonetheless, in combination, they are luminous enough to be visible to the naked eye.

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