Vega (astronomy)

Vega (astronomy), first-magnitude star of the constellation Lyra and the brightest star in the heavens of the northern hemisphere, glowing with a distinct bluish tinge. Vega is approximately 26 light-years from earth. In 1983 the Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) determined that the star is surrounded by a swarm of particles of undetermined size. Thus Vega was the first star besides the sun definitely found to have a solar system. In 1998 astronomers using the James Clerk Maxwell radio telescope at Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii created more detailed images of the particles surrounding Vega. The data show that Vega is surrounded by a flat disk of dust. The astronomers found no evidence that any of the dust had condensed into planets.