Standing On The Shoulders of Giants

µ Cephei: Red Supergiant

µ Cephei, was first discovered by William Herschel and called Garnet
Star, because it appears to shine in garnet red due to its spectral
class of M2Ia. It is the reddest star visible with the naked eye and may
be one of the brightest and largest stars in our whole Galaxy.
It is a Red Supergiant in the last phase of its life, fusing helium into
carbon. Its radius is 1425 times the radius of the sun and it is 38000
times brighter – only thinking about those numbers can do your head in.
Sketching it was easy, however, more than once interrupted by passing
clouds.

Date: November 18, 2006
Location: Erbendorf, Bavaria, Germany
Instrument: Dobsonian 8″ f/6
Constellation: Cepheus
Seeing: II-III of VI
Transparency: III-IV of VI
NELM: 5m0
Magnification: 80x
Technique: pencil on white paper, digitally enhanced in Photoshop

Sebastian Lehner