Aldebaran

Star: Aldebaran

Stellar Classification: K5III- orange giant star

Background information: Aldebaran belongs to the Taurus constellation and means "follower" in Arabic. It is about 1 1/2 times the mass of our sun, but shines 425 times brighter. In addition, it is one of the brightest stars in the sky at night.  Mexican culture says that the star gives light to the "Pleiades" (7 women giving birth). Aboriginal culture claims that Aldebaran is the ancestor Karambal who was with another man's wife, and was hunted down by the husband once he found out. The husband burned Aldebaran along with the tree he was hiding in and it is said that he rose with the smoke to the sky and became the star of Aldebaran. 

Chemical Composition of Aldebaran:

- Has an abundance of carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen
-Also contains calcium, sodium, iron, and magnesium

Spectrum Analysis of Most Abundant Chemical (carbon):




Location in Space

Right ascension:  04^h 35^m 55.239^s

Declination:    +16° 30′ 33.49″     

Resources:
(n.d.). Retrieved September 28, 2015, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldebaran

Spectra of Different Atoms. (n.d.). Retrieved September 28, 2015, from http://www.astronomy.ohio-state.edu/~pogge/Ast350/Labs/Lamps/