· · · ·

The designation given to a binary pair of yellow-white F-type stars lying northward and eastward of the Andromeda Galaxy, as seen in the skies of Earth. Together with the stars Adhil (or Xi Andromedae) and Phi Andromedae, Omega Andromedae forms part of the small formation classically known as the 'tail', from whose Arabic name the star Adhil takes its name.

Omega Andromedae and its neighbour Adhil share a similar visual magnitude of +4.8. In fact Adhil is by far the more luminous of the two stars, but it also lies much farther from the Solar System: Omega Andromedae is some 93 light years from the Sun, while Adhil is rather more than twice as far away.

Both of the members of the Omega Andromedae binary system are relatively hot F-type stars. The primary star appears to be a subgiant beginning to evolve away from the main sequence, and is more than twice the Sun's diameter, while its companion is a dwarf star that shines with a similar colour to its primary, but is much less massive.

Indexes

Related Entries