Eta Canis Majoris

Starbox begin
name=Eta Canis Majoris Starbox observe
epoch=J2000
ra=07^h 24^m 11.1^s
dec=-29° 18′ 11″
appmag_v=2.45
constell=Canis Major Starbox character
class=B5 Ia
b-v=-0.09
u-b=-0.72
variable=α Cyg Starbox astrometry
radial_v=41
prop_mo_ra=-3.76
prop_mo_dec=6.66
parallax=1.02
p_error=0.57
absmag_v=-7.51 Starbox detail
mass=15
radius=32.6
luminosity=100,000 | temperature=18,000
u-b=-0.72
variable=α Cyg Starbox catalog
names=Aludra, 31 Canis Majoris, HR 2827, CD−29°4328, HD 58350, SAO 173651, FK5 283, HIP 35904, GC 9886, CCDM 07240-2918 Starbox reference
Simbad=HD+58350

Eta Canis Majoris (η CMa / η Canis Majoris) is a star in the constellation Canis Major. It also has the traditional name Aludra.

Aludra shines brightly in the skies in spite of a large distance from Earth due to being intrinsically many times brighter (absolute magnitude) than the Sun. A blue supergiant, Aludra has only been around a fraction of the time our Sun has, yet is already in the last stages of its life. It is still expanding and may be becoming a red supergiant, or perhaps has already passed that phase, but in either case it will become a supernova within the next few million years.

The name Aludra originates from the Arabic: عذرا "al-‘aðrā" "the virgin". In ancient times Arabic astrologers/astronomers referred to a group of four stars in the Canis Major constellation, also known as the "Greater Dog", as "Al 'Adhara" "the virgins".

η Canis Majoris classified as an Alpha Cygni type variable star and its brightness varies from magnitude +2.38 to +2.48