A fast-rotating star, Achernar has a spin velocity of 225 to 300 kilometers per second, completing a rotation of only 2.1 days, causing the star to eject mass at a rate thousands of times greater than our Sun. Because of this, Achernar is classified as a "Be" (B-emission) star, with an expanding circumstellar envelope of gas circulating around the [[equator]]. The tremendous speed also gives Achemar a distinct oblate spheroid shape. Its equatorial radius measures some 11.6 Suns across, while the polar radius measures only 7.5 Suns across, making the star more than 50 percent wider at the equator than at the poles.<ref name="harvard"/> | A fast-rotating star, Achernar has a spin velocity of 225 to 300 kilometers per second, completing a rotation of only 2.1 days, causing the star to eject mass at a rate thousands of times greater than our Sun. Because of this, Achernar is classified as a "Be" (B-emission) star, with an expanding circumstellar envelope of gas circulating around the [[equator]]. The tremendous speed also gives Achemar a distinct oblate spheroid shape. Its equatorial radius measures some 11.6 Suns across, while the polar radius measures only 7.5 Suns across, making the star more than 50 percent wider at the equator than at the poles.<ref name="harvard"/> |