La Superba

(270 ± 110) L ☉

La Superba is the name of the variable star Y Canum Venaticorum (Y CVn ) in the constellation Canes Venatici.

It is one of the reddest stars in the sky. Due to the conspicuous coloration called him the Italian astronomer Angelo Secchi La Superba, " the Superior ". Catalog numbers are HR 4846 or HD 110914th

The star is a about 1000 light years distant red giant. He belongs to the spectral class C7 I and has a high content of carbon. Such a star are also referred to as a carbon stars. The surface temperature is only 2800 Kelvin. The diameter is about two astronomical units, that is 300 million kilometers.

The apparent brightness varies over a period of about 157 days between 4.8 mag and 6.3 mag. La Superba is counted among the semi- regular variable stars.