What is ruchbah?

Ruchbah, also known as Delta Cassiopeiae, is a binary star system located in the constellation Cassiopeia. It is approximately 99 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent visual magnitude of 2.68, making it visible to the naked eye.

The primary star in the system is a blue-white giant with a spectral type of B2IV, which means it is much hotter and more massive than the Sun. The companion star is a yellow dwarf with a spectral type of G0V, similar to our Sun.

The two stars orbit each other with a period of 319.2 years and have a separation of about 149 astronomical units (AU), which is approximately twice the distance between the Sun and Pluto.

Ruchbah is also known for being a variable star, with its brightness fluctuating by about 0.1 magnitudes over a period of about 1.4 days. This variability is caused by pulsations in the primary star's atmosphere, similar to other pulsating stars such as Cepheids.

Overall, Ruchbah is an interesting binary star system that provides astronomers with important insights into the evolution of massive stars and the dynamics of binary systems.