hip-44093

Its story

Within the unfurled sails of the ancient celestial ship —the constellation Vela— lives a white type-A star whose light crossed 224 years of emptiness. When that light departed, Napoleon was crowning a fleeting empire and Europe was reordering itself. The star is variable: its brightness oscillates faintly, like a candle swayed by an invisible breeze. Hotter and more luminous than the Sun, it shows that crisp whiteness only type-A stars know how to wear.