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Algieba Algieba is a binary star system in the Leo constellation. This star is also known as Al Gieba, Gamma 1 Leonis, HR 4057, and HD 89484. Name origin and history The name Algieba orginiates from the Arabic Al-Jabhah, meaning "The forehead." Despite this meaning, the start actually appears of the mane of the line in Leo. The star's Latin name is Juba. - Algieba (gamma), Adhafera (zeta), and Al Jabbah (eta) have collectively been called the Sickle.
- Algieba (gamma), along with Adhafera (zeta), Regulus (Alpha) and eta (Al Jabbah) are the 8th manzil, Al Jabhah, the "Forehead," promoting love, benevolence, and help against enemies.
- The Lion is associated with the Hebrew letter Kaph and the 11th Tarot Trump "Strength".
System components Algieba, as a binary system, consists of two stars. The main star has an apparent brightness of +2.61m and belongs to the spectral class K1-IIIbCN-0.5. The companion star has a brightness of +3.80m and belongs to the spectral class G7IIICN-I. The brighter component (of magnitude +2.61m) is a giant K star with a surface temperature of 4,400 K, a luminosity 180 times that of Earth's Sun, and a diameter 23 times that of the Sun. Its partner is a giant G star with a temperature of 4,900 K, a luminosity of 50 times that of the Sun, and a diameter 10 times that of the Sun. With angular separation of just over 4", the two stars are at least 170 AU apart (four times the distance between Pluto and the Sun), and have an orbital period of over 500 years. Because the orbital period is so long, only a fraction of the full path has been observed since discovery. Both stars are almost certainly true giants, meaning that they have stopped fusing hydrogen to helium in their cores and have expanded to great proportions. Although there has been to little observation of their orbit to calculate their masses, comparison with evolutionary calculations suggests that each are about double the mass of the Sun. Originating from the same interstellar cloud some two billion years ago, the stars have iron contents about a third that of the Sun. It is hard to tell how far along they might be in their life cycle. They both may be fusing helium in their cores, or they could be giants in development, with quiet helium cores that are waiting to fire up. The chemical composition at the surface, which is influenced by age, suggests the former. Sky appearance The bright binary system in Leo with orange-red and yellow / greenish yellow components visible through a modest telescope under good atmospheric conditions. To the eye, the Algieba system shines at mid-second magnitude, but a telesope easily splits the pair. External links and references Leonis, Gamma1
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