"Vega: La Estrella que Brilla Más Allá del Sol"

Hace unos meses, te hablamos sobre las estrellas visibles en el llamado triángulo de verano. Entre ellas se encuentra Vega, frecuentemente descrita como “la estrella más destacada del cielo después del Sol”. Pero, ¿por qué? ¿Qué hace que Vega sea tan singular? Lo que la convierte en un tema aún más fascinante es que desafía siglos de comprensión astronómica.

Shortly after sunset, you can see Vega to the northwest in the constellation Lyra, at this time. This constellation is one of the 48 that Ptolemy described almost 2,000 years ago. In other cultures it was called the eagle or vulture (in Arabic), the Malleefowl (in Australia), and King Arthur’s harp (in Wales). In any case, this area of the sky has been widely observed throughout history — and likely, also in prehistory — because Vega is the sixth-brightest star in the sky, if the Sun is included in the list. What’s more, Vega was the North Star about 14,000 years ago, and it will take that role again in approximately 12,000 years. Let’s see what they say then! In fact, of the stars that can occupy the polar star position, Vega is the brightest: we now have a not-very-bright substitute.

Vega’s fifth-place ranking in brightness is not the only reason why it is special. It was the first distant star ever photographed, back in 1850. Years later, in 1872, it also became the first star to have its spectrum photographed. Beyond these historical milestones, Vega holds immense value in astrophysics for three main reasons, two of which contradict the third.