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Capella
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Latin:
“She-Goat”
Also called:
Alpha Aurigae
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Capella

star
Also known as: Alpha Aurigae
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History

Capella, sixth brightest star in the night sky and the brightest in the constellation Auriga, with an apparent visual magnitude of 0.08. Capella is a spectroscopic binary comprising two G-type giant stars that orbit each other every 104 days. It lies 42.2 light-years from Earth.

(List of Brightest Stars as Seen from Earth)

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Erik Gregersen.
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