Altair

/æl.ˈteɪr/ noun

Definition

The brightest star in the constellation Aquila (the Eagle), the 12th brightest star in the night sky.

Etymology

From Arabic 'al-ṭāir' (the eagle), literally 'the flying one,' named by medieval Arab astronomers and transmitted to European astronomy through Islamic scientific texts.

Kelly Says

Altair is only 17 light-years away and rotates so fast it's visibly flattened at the poles—if you could stand on its equator, you'd weigh almost nothing because the rotation would fling you into space.

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