Schopenhauer (Interlude)

Capella

Capella, also designated Alpha Aurigae (α Aurigae, abbreviated Alpha Aur, α Aur), is the brightest point of light in the constellation of Auriga, the sixth-brightest in the night sky, and the third-brightest in the northern celestial hemisphere after Arcturus and Vega. A prominent object in the winter sky of the northern hemisphere, it is circumpolar to observers north of 44°N. Its name meaning "little goat" in Latin, Capella depicted the goat Amalthea that suckled Zeus in classical mythology. The Capella system is relatively close, at only 42.9 light-years (13.2 pc) from the Sun. Although it appears to be a single star to the naked eye, Capella is actually a quadruple star system in two binary pairs made up of the stars Capella Aa, Capella Ab, Capella H, and… more »