Not everyone knows the names of stars and constellations, but many have heard the most popular ones.
Constellations are expressive star groups, and the names of stars and constellations contain special magic.
The information that tens of thousands of years ago, even before the emergence of the first civilizations, people began to give them names does not raise any doubts. Space is filled with heroes and monsters from legends, and the skies of our northern latitudes are mainly populated by characters from the Greek epic.
Photos of constellations in the sky and their names
48 ancient constellations - decoration of the celestial sphere. Each one has a legend associated with it. And it’s not surprising - stars played a big role in people’s lives. Navigation and large-scale agriculture would be impossible without a good knowledge of celestial bodies.
Of all the constellations, the non-setting ones are distinguished, located at 40 degrees latitude or higher. Residents of the northern hemisphere always see them, regardless of the time of year.
5 main non-setting constellations in alphabetical order - The Dragon, Cassiopeia, Ursa Major and Minor, Cepheus . They are visible all year round, especially well in the south of Russia. Although at northern latitudes the circle of non-setting stars is wider.
It is important that the objects of the constellations are not necessarily located nearby. To an observer on earth, the surface of the sky appears flat, but in fact some stars are much further away than others. Therefore, it would be incorrect to write “the ship made a jump into the constellation Microscope” (there is such a thing in the southern hemisphere). “The ship can make a jump towards the Microscope” - that would be correct.
The brightest star in the sky
The brightest is Sirius in Canis Major. At our northern latitudes it is visible only in winter. One of the largest cosmic bodies closest to the sun, its light travels to us for only 8.6 years.
Among the Sumerians and ancient Egyptians he had the status of a deity. 3,000 years ago, Egyptian priests used the rise of Sirius to accurately determine the time of the Nile flood.
Sirius is a double star. The visible component (Sirius A) is approximately 2 times more massive than the Sun and shines 25 times more intensely. Sirius B is a white dwarf with nearly the mass of the sun, with a brightness of a quarter solar.
Sirius B is perhaps the most massive white dwarf known to astronomers. Ordinary dwarfs of this class are half as light.
Arcturus in Bootes is the brightest in northern latitudes and is one of the most unusual luminaries. Age – 7.3 billion years, almost half the age of the universe. With a mass approximately equal to the sun, it is 25 times larger, since it consists of the lightest elements - hydrogen, helium. Apparently, when Arcturus was formed, there were not so many metals and other heavy elements in the universe.
Like a king in exile, Arcturus moves through space surrounded by a retinue of 52 smaller stars. Perhaps they are all part of a galaxy that was swallowed up by our Milky Way a long, long time ago.
Arcturus is almost 37 light years away - also not so far, on a cosmic scale. It belongs to the class of red giants and shines 110 times stronger than the Sun. The picture shows the comparative sizes of Arcturus and the Sun.
Star names by color
The color of a star depends on temperature, and temperature depends on mass and age. The hottest are young, massive blue giants, with surface temperatures reaching 60,000 Kelvin and masses up to 60 solar. Class B stars are not much inferior, the brightest representative of which is Spica, alpha of the Virgo constellation.
The coldest ones are small, old red dwarfs. On average, the surface temperature is 2-3 thousand Kelvin, and the mass is a third of the sun. The diagram clearly shows how color depends on size.
Based on temperature and color, stars are divided into 7 spectral classes, indicated in the astronomical description of the object in Latin letters.
Beautiful names of stars
The language of modern astronomy is dry and practical; among the atlases you will not find stars with names. But ancient people named the brightest and most important night luminaries. Most of the names are of Arabic origin, but there are also those that go back to hoary antiquity, to the times of the ancient Akkadians and Sumerians.
Polar. Dim, the last one in the handle of the Little Dipper, a guiding sign for all sailors of antiquity. Polar hardly moves and always points north. Every people in the northern hemisphere has a name for it. “Iron stake” of the ancient Finns, “Tied horse” of the Khakass, “Hole in the sky” of the Evenks. The ancient Greeks, famous travelers and sailors, called the polar “Kinosura”, which translates as “dog’s tail”.
Sirius. The name apparently came from ancient Egypt, where the star was associated with the hypostasis of the goddess Isis. In ancient Rome it was called Vacation, and our “vacation” comes directly from this word. The fact is that Sirius appeared in Rome at dawn, in the summer, on the days of the greatest heat, when the life of the city froze.
Aldebaran. In its movement it always follows the Pleiades cluster. In Arabic it means "follower". The Greeks and Romans called Aldebaran "Eye of the Calf".
The Pioneer 10 probe, launched in 1972, is heading directly towards Aldebaran. Estimated time of arrival is 2 million years.
Vega. Arab astronomers called it “Falling Eagle” (An nahr Al wagi). From the distorted “wagi”, that is, “falling”, the name Vega came. In ancient Rome, the day it crossed the horizon before sunrise was considered the last day of summer.
Vega was the first star (after the Sun) to be photographed. This happened almost 200 years ago in 1850, at the Oxford Observatory.
Betelgeuse. The Arabic designation is Yad Al Juza (hand of the twin). In the Middle Ages, due to confusion in translation, the word was read as "Bel Juza" and "Betelgeuse" arose.
Science fiction writers love the star. One of the characters in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy comes from a small planet in the Betelgeuse system.
Fomalhaut. Alpha Southern Pisces. In Arabic it means “Fish Mouth”. The 18th brightest night luminary. Archaeologists have discovered evidence of the veneration of Fomalhaut back in the prehistoric period, 2.5 thousand years ago.
Canopus. One of the few stars whose name does not have Arabic roots. According to the Greek version, the word goes back to Canopus, the helmsman of King Menelaus.
The planet Arrakis, from the famous series of books by F. Herbert, revolves around Canopus.
How many constellations are there in the sky
As it was established, people united stars into groups 15,000 years ago. In the first written sources, i.e. 2 millennia ago, 48 constellations are described. They are still in the sky, only the big Argo no longer exists - it was divided into 4 smaller ones - Stern, Sail, Keel and Compass.
Thanks to the development of navigation, new constellations began to appear in the 15th century. Bizarre figures decorate the sky - Peacock, Telescope, Indian. The exact year when the last of them appeared is known - 1763.
At the beginning of the last century, a general revision of the constellations took place. Astronomers counted 88 star groups - 28 in the northern hemisphere and 45 in the southern. The 13 constellations of the zodiac belt stand apart. And this is the final result; astronomers do not plan to add new ones.
Constellations of the northern hemisphere - list with pictures
Unfortunately, you cannot see all 28 constellations in one night; celestial mechanics are inexorable. But in return we have a pleasant variety. Winter and summer skies look different.
Let's talk about the most interesting and noticeable constellations.
Big Dipper- the main landmark of the night sky. With its help it is easy to find other astronomical objects.
tip of the tail Ursa Minor- the famous North Star. Celestial bears have long tails, unlike their earthly relatives.
The Dragon- a large constellation between Ursa. It is impossible not to mention μ Dragon, which is called Arrakis, which means “dancer” in ancient Arabic. Kuma (ν Draco) is double, which can be observed with ordinary binoculars.
It is known that ρ Cassiopeia – supergiant, it is hundreds of thousands of times brighter than the Sun. In 1572, the last explosion to date occurred in Cassiopeia.
The ancient Greeks did not come to a consensus whose Lyra. Different legends give it to different heroes - Apollo, Orpheus or Orion. The notorious Vega enters Lyra.
Orion- the most noticeable astronomical formation in our sky. The large stars in Orion's belt are called the Three Kings or Magi. The famous Betelgeuse is located here.
Cepheus can be seen all year round. In 8,000 years, one of its stars, Alderamin, will become the new polar star.
IN Andromeda lies the M31 nebula. This is a nearby galaxy, visible to the naked eye on a clear night. The Andromeda nebula is 2 million light years away from us.
A beautiful constellation name Veronica's hair owes it to the Egyptian queens who sacrificed her hair to the gods. In the direction of Coma Berenices is the north pole of our galaxy.
Alpha Bootes- the famous Arcturus. Beyond Bootes, at the very edge of the observable universe, lies the galaxy Egsy8p7. This is one of the most distant objects known to astronomers - 13.2 billion light years away.
Constellations for children - all the fun
Curious young astronomers will be interested in learning about the constellations and seeing them in the sky. Parents can arrange a night excursion for their children, talking about the amazing science of astronomy and seeing some of the constellations with their own eyes together with the children. These short and understandable stories will surely appeal to little researchers.
Ursa Major and Ursa Minor
In ancient Greece, the gods turned everyone into animals and threw anyone into the sky. That's how they were. One day, the wife of Zeus turned a nymph named Callisto into a bear. And the nymph had a little son who knew nothing about the fact that his mother had become a bear.
When the son grew up, he became a hunter and went to the forest with a bow and arrow. And it so happened that he met a mother bear. When the hunter raised his bow and shot, Zeus stopped time and threw everyone together - the bear, the hunter and the arrow into the sky.
Since then, the Big Dipper has been walking across the sky together with the little one, which the hunter son has turned into. And the arrow also remains in the sky, only it will never hit anywhere - such is the order in the sky.
The Big Dipper is always easy to find in the sky, it looks like a large ladle with a handle. And if you found the Big Dipper, it means the Little Dipper is walking nearby. And although Ursa Minor is not so noticeable, there is a way to find it: the two outermost stars in the bucket will point in the exact direction to the polar star - this is the tail of Ursa Minor.
polar Star
All the stars are spinning slowly, only Polaris stands still. She always points to the north, for this she is called a guide.
In ancient times, people sailed on ships with large sails, but without a compass. And when the ship is on the open sea and the shores are not visible, you can easily get lost.
When this happened, the experienced captain waited until nightfall to see the North Star and find the north direction. And knowing the direction to the north, you can easily determine where the rest of the world is and where to sail to bring the ship to its home port.
The Dragon
Among the night luminaries in the sky lives a star dragon. According to legend, the dragon participated in the wars of the gods and titans at the very dawn of time. The goddess of war, Athena, in the heat of battle, took and threw a huge dragon into the sky, just between the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper.
The Dragon is a large constellation: 4 stars form its head, 14 form its tail. Its stars are not very bright. This must be because the Dragon is already old. After all, a lot of time has passed since the dawn of time, even for the Dragon.
Orion
Orion was the son of Zeus. In his life he accomplished many feats, became famous as a great hunter, and became the favorite of Artemis, the goddess of the hunt. Orion loved to boast of his strength and luck, but one day he was stung by a scorpion. Artemis rushed to Zeus and asked to save her pet. Zeus threw Orion into the sky, where the great hero of ancient Greece still lives.
Orion is the most remarkable constellation in the northern sky. It is large and consists of bright stars. In winter, Orion is completely visible and easy to find: look for a large hourglass with three bright bluish stars in the middle. These stars are called Orion's belt and their names are Alnitak (left), Alnilam (middle) and Mintak (right).
Knowing Orion, it is easier to navigate the other constellations and find stars.
Sirius
Knowing the position of Orion, you can easily find the famous Sirius. You need to draw a line to the right of Orion's belt. Just look for the brightest star. It is important to remember that it is visible in the northern sky only in winter.
Sirius is the brightest in the sky. It is part of the constellation Canis Major, the faithful satellite of Orion.
There are actually two stars in Sirius, circling each other. One star is hot and bright, we see its light. And the other half is so dim that you can’t see it with a regular telescope. But once upon a time, many millions of years ago, these parts were one huge whole. If we lived in those times, Sirius would shine for us 20 times stronger!
Questions and answers section
Which star's name means "brilliant, sparkling"?
- Sirius. It is so bright that it can be seen even during the day.
What constellations can be seen with the naked eye?
- Everything is possible. Constellations were invented by ancient people, long before the invention of the telescope. In addition, without having a telescope with you, you can even see planets, for example, Venus, Mercury, etc.
Which constellation is the largest?
- Hydras. It is so long that it does not fit entirely in the northern sky and goes beyond the southern horizon. The length of Hydra is almost a quarter of the circumference of the horizon.
Which constellation is the smallest?
— The smallest, but at the same time the brightest, is the Southern Cross. It is located in the southern hemisphere.
What constellation is the Sun in?
The Earth revolves around the Sun, and we see how it passes through as many as 12 constellations per year, one for each month. They are called the Zodiac Belt.
Conclusion
The stars have long fascinated people. And although the development of astronomy allows us to look further into the depths of space, the charm of the ancient names of stars does not go away.
When we look into the night sky, we see the past, ancient myths and legends, and the future - because one day people will go to the stars.
If you ask any random person, almost everyone will answer - “”. This star is without a doubt very bright and the most popular, so most people think that it is popular precisely because it is the brightest. However, it is not. Polaris ranks only 42nd in brightness among the stars of the night sky.
Stars have different brightness and color. Each star has its own, to which it is attached from the moment of birth. When any star forms, the dominant element is hydrogen—the most abundant element in the Universe—and its fate is determined only by its mass. Stars with a mass of 8% of the mass of the Sun can ignite a nuclear fusion reaction in the core, fusing helium from hydrogen, and their energy gradually moves from the inside out and pours into the Universe. Low-mass stars, due to their low temperatures, are red, dim, and burn their fuel slowly—the longest-lived ones are destined to burn for trillions of years. But the more mass a star gains, the hotter its core, and the larger the region in which nuclear fusion occurs. Not surprisingly, the most massive and hot stars are also the brightest. The most massive and hot stars can be tens of thousands of times brighter than the Sun!
Which star is the brightest in the sky?
This is not as simple a question as it seems. It all depends on what you mean by the brightest star.
If we talk about the brightest star in the sky that we see- that's one thing. But if by brightness we mean the amount of light emitted by a star, then this is completely different. One star in the sky may be brighter than another simply because it is closer than larger and brighter stars.
When they talk about the brightest star in the sky
When talking about the brightest star in the sky, we must distinguish between the apparent and absolute brightness of the stars. They are usually called apparent and absolute magnitude, respectively.
- Apparent magnitude is the degree of brightness of a star in the night sky when observed from Earth.
- Absolute magnitude is the brightness of a star at a distance of 10 parsecs.
The lower the magnitude, the brighter the star.
is the brightest star in the night sky
The brightest star in the sky is undoubtedly Sirius. It shines and is clearly visible in the Northern Hemisphere during the winter months. The apparent magnitude of Sirius is -1.46 m. Sirius is 20 times brighter than the Sun and twice as massive. The star is located approximately 8.6 light years from the Sun and is one of the closest stars to us. Its brilliance is the result of its true brightness and its proximity to us. 
Sirius is a double star, the brightest star in the night sky, which is part of the constellation Canis Major, is also called α Canis Major. A binary star is a system of two gravitationally bound stars revolving in closed orbits around a common center of mass. The second star, Sirius B, has a magnitude of 8.4, is slightly lighter than the Sun and is the first discovered, and also the most massive, discovered to date. The average distance between these stars is about 20 AU. e., which is comparable to the distance from the Sun to Uranus. The age of Sirius (according to calculations) is approximately 230 million years.
Sirius A will exist on the main sequence for about another 660 million years, after which it will become a red giant and then shed its outer shell and become a white dwarf. Consequently, the estimated life cycle of Sirius A could be about 1 billion years.
List of the brightest stars
Distance: 0.0000158 light years
Apparent magnitude: −26,72
Absolute magnitude: 4,8
Sirius (α Canis Majoris)
Distance: 8.6 light years
Apparent magnitude: −1,46
Absolute magnitude: 1,4
Canopus (α Carinae)
Distance: 310 light years
Apparent magnitude: −0,72
Absolute magnitude: −5,53
Toliman (α Centauri)
Distance: 4.3 light years
Apparent magnitude: −0,27
Absolute magnitude: 4,06
Arcturus (α Bootes)
Distance: 36.7 light years
Apparent magnitude: −0,05
Absolute magnitude: −0,3
The science
The night sky is full incredibly beautiful objects, which can be seen even with the naked eye. If you don’t have special equipment to look at the sky, it doesn’t matter, some amazing things can be seen without it.
Spectacular comets, bright planets, distant nebulae, twinkling stars and constellations can all be found in the night sky.
The only thing important to remember is light pollution in big cities. In the city, the light from lanterns and building windows is so strong that all the most interesting things are in the night sky turns out to be hidden, so to see these amazing things you should head out of town.
Light pollution
Brightest planet
Earth's very hot neighbor - Venus can rightfully be proud of the title the brightest planet in the sky. The planet's brightness is due to its highly reflective clouds and its proximity to Earth. Venus approximately 6 times brighter than other neighbors of the Earth - Mars and Jupiter.
Venus is brighter than any other object in the night sky, except, of course, the Moon. Its maximum visible magnitude is around 5. For comparison: the apparent magnitude of the full Moon is -13 , that is, she is approximately 1600 times brighter than Venus.
In February 2012, a unique conjunction of three of the brightest objects in the night sky was observed: Venus, Jupiter and Moon, which could be seen immediately after sunset.
The largest star
The largest star known to science is VY Canis Majoris, a red M-type hypergiant that is located at a distance of approximately 3800 light years from Earth in the constellation Canis Major.
Scientists estimate that the star VY Canis Majoris may be more than 2100 times larger than the Sun in size. If it is placed in the Solar System, then the edges of this monster will be located approximately in the orbit of Saturn.
The surface of a hypergiant can hardly be called noticeably outlined, since this star is approximately 1000 times less dense than our planet's atmosphere at sea level.
VY Canis Majoris is the source a lot of controversy in the scientific world, since the estimate of its size goes beyond the boundaries of the current stellar theory. Astronomers believe that the star VY Canis Majoris will within the next 100 thousand years will explode and die, turning into a “hypernova” and releasing a colossal amount of energy, and this energy will be greater than that of any other supernova.
Brightest star
In 1997, astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope discovered that the brightest known star was a star located at a distance 25 thousand light years from us. This star highlights 10 million times more energy than the Sun. This star is also much larger in size than our star. If you place it at the center of the solar system, it will occupy the orbit of the Earth.
Scientists have suggested that this large star, located in the region of the constellation Sagittarius, creates a cloud of gas around itself, which is called The Pistol Nebula. Thanks to this nebula, the star also received the name Pistol star.
Unfortunately, this amazing star is not visible from Earth due to the fact that it is hidden by the dust clouds of the Milky Way. The brightest star in the night sky you can call a star Sirius, located in the constellation Canis Major. The magnitude of Sirius is -1,44.
You can observe Sirius from anywhere on Earth, except the northern regions. The brightness of a star is explained not only by its high luminosity, but also at a relatively close distance. Sirius is located approximately at 8.6 light years from the solar system.
The most beautiful star in the sky
Many stars are known for their different colors of brilliance, such as the system consisting of blue and orange stars Albireo, or bright red giant star Antares. However, the most beautiful of all stars visible to the naked eye can be called the red-orange star Mu Cephei, which is also called "Herschel's Garnet Star" after its first explorer, a British astronomer William Herschel.
The red giant Mu Cephei is located in the constellation Cepheus. This pulsating variable star and its maximum brightness changes from 3.7 to 5.0. The color of the star also changes. Most of the time, Mu Cephei is a deep orange-red, but sometimes it takes on a strange purple hue.
Although Mu Cephei is a little dim, it is reddish tint can be seen even with the naked eye, and if you take simple binoculars, the sight will be more impressive.
Farthest space object
The farthest object visible to the naked eye is Andromeda galaxy, which includes about 400 billion stars and which was noticed back in the 10th century by the ancient Persian astronomer Al Sufi. He described the object as a "little cloud."
Even if you were armed with binoculars or an amateur telescope, Andromeda would still look like slightly elongated blurry spot. But it is still very impressive, especially if you know that the light from it reaches us in 2.5 million years!
By the way, the Andromeda galaxy is approaching our Milky Way galaxy. Astronomers estimate that the two galaxies will merge at about in 4 billion years, and Andromeda will be visible as a bright disk in the night sky. However, it is not yet known whether there will still be people on Earth who want to look at the sky after so many years.
10
- Alternative title:α Leo
- Apparent magnitude: 1,35
- Distance to the Sun: 77.5 St. years
The brightest star in the constellation Leo and one of the brightest stars in the night sky. Regulus is located about 77.5 light years from the solar system. The name is translated from Latin as “prince”. In Arabic it is called Qalb Al-Asad (قلب الأسد), which means “heart of a lion.” Sometimes the translation of this name is found in Latin - Cor Leonis. Regulus is considered the last in the list of first magnitude stars, since the next brightest star, Adara, has a magnitude of 1.50m, which makes it a second magnitude star.
Regulus is about 3.5 times more massive than the Sun. This is a young star, only a few hundred million years old. It rotates extremely quickly, with a rotation period of only 15.9 hours, making its shape highly oblate (the equatorial radius is one third larger than the polar radius) and pumpkin-like. This results in gravitational dimming, in which the star's poles are significantly (50%) hotter and five times brighter (per unit surface area) than its equator. If it were spinning just 14% faster, the centripetal gravitational force would not be enough to keep the star from falling apart. The axis of rotation of Regulus almost coincides with the direction of movement of the star in space. It was also found that the rotation axis is perpendicular to the line of sight. This means that we are observing Regulus from the edge.
9
- Alternative title:α Cygnus
- Apparent magnitude: 1,25
- Distance to the Sun:~1550 St. years
The name "Deneb" comes from the Arabic dheneb ("tail"), from the phrase ذنب الدجاجة dhanab ad-dajājat, or "hen's tail". This star is the brightest in the constellation Cygnus, ranked ninth in brightness among the stars of the northern hemisphere and twentieth among the stars of both hemispheres. Together with the stars Vega and Altair, Deneb forms the “summer-autumn triangle”, which is visible in the Northern Hemisphere during the summer and autumn months.
Deneb is one of the largest and most powerful stars known to science. The diameter of Deneb is approximately equal to the diameter of the Earth's orbit (≈300 million kilometers). Deneb's absolute magnitude is estimated at −6.5m, making Deneb the most powerful star of all the 25 brightest stars in the sky.
The exact distance to Deneb remains a source of controversy to this day. Most stars located at the same distance from Earth are not visible to the naked eye, and can only be identified from a catalog, provided that they are known at all. On various Internet resources you can find values from 1340 to 3200 light years. Recent parallax refinements estimate the distance to be between 1,340 and 1,840 light-years, with the most likely value being 1,550 light-years.
If Deneb were a point source of light at the same distance from Earth as the Sun, it would be much brighter than most industrial lasers. In one Earth day it emits more light than the Sun does in 140 years. If it were the same distance as Sirius, it would be brighter than the full moon.
The mass of Deneb is considered to be 15-25 solar. Since Deneb is a white supergiant, due to its high temperature and mass, we can conclude that it has a short lifespan and will go supernova in a couple of million years. Thermonuclear reactions involving hydrogen have already stopped in its core.
Every year, Deneb loses up to 0.8 millionths of its solar mass in the form of stellar wind. This is one hundred thousand times more than that of the Sun.
8
- Alternative title:β Gemini
- Apparent magnitude: 1,14
- Distance to the Sun: 40 St. years
This star was named in honor of one of the two Dioscuri brothers - Polydeuces ("Pollux" is his Latinized name). In the constellation drawing, Pollux is located on the head of the southern twin.
According to Johann Bayer's classification, the star is labeled as β Gemini, despite being the brightest in the constellation. “Alpha” was the name given to the star Castor with an apparent magnitude of 1.57. This happened due to the fact that visually these two everywhere are almost equally bright and just for such a case, when two stars of the same brightness are located close to each other, there is a second Bayer classification criterion (the first criterion is brightness) - priority is given to the more northern star.
Pollux is a small orange star that belongs to the spectral class K0 IIIb. Its luminosity is only 32 times greater than the luminosity of our Sun. Pollux's mass is 1.86 solar masses. Based on these data, it becomes clear that such a celestial body could not have entered the list of the brightest stars in the sky if not for its close distance to our planet. According to data for 2011, the distance from Pollux to Earth is only 40 light years, which by cosmic standards is not so much.
The only thing Pollux can boast of is its radius. According to the latest data, its radius exceeds the radius of our Sun by eight times. However, it is believed that it will gradually increase in size as Pollux slowly transforms into a red giant. Astronomical calculations suggest that the star's helium reserves will run out in about 100 million years, after which Beta Gemini will turn into a white dwarf.
In 2006, a group of astronomers confirmed the presence of an exoplanet around Pollux.
7
- Alternative title:α Taurus
- Apparent magnitude: 0.85 (variable)
- Distance to the Sun: 65 St. years
Aldebaran is the brightest star among all the stars of the zodiac constellations. The name comes from the Arabic word الدبران (al-dabarān), meaning “follower” - a star in the night sky makes its way following the Pleiades. Because of its position in the head of Taurus, it was called the Eye of Taurus (lat. Oculus Taurī). The names Palilius and Lamparus are also known.
With an apparent magnitude of 0.85, Aldebaran is the 14th brightest star in the night sky. Its absolute magnitude is -0.3, and its distance from Earth is 65 light years.
Aldebaran has a spectral class of K5III, a surface temperature of 4010° Kelvin and a luminosity 425 times greater than that of the Sun. The star has a mass of 1.7 solar masses and a diameter that is 44.2 times the diameter of the Sun.
Aldebaran is one of the simplest stars to find in the night sky, partly due to its brightness and partly due to its spatial location in relation to one of the most prominent asterisms in the sky. If you follow the three stars of Orion's belt from left to right (in the northern hemisphere) or from right to left (in the southern hemisphere), the first bright star you will find as you continue along this line is Aldebaran.
6
- Alternative title:α Eagle
- Apparent magnitude: 0,77
- Distance to the Sun: 18 St. years
Altair is one of the closest stars visible to the naked eye. Along with Beta Orla and Tarazed, the star forms the well-known lineage of stars sometimes called the Aquila family. Altair makes up one of the vertices of the Summer Triangle along with Deneb and Vega.
Altair has an extremely high rotation speed, reaching 210 kilometers per second at the equator. Thus, one period is about 9 hours. By comparison, the Sun takes just over 25 days to complete one full rotation around the equator. This rapid rotation causes Altair to be slightly flattened. Its equatorial diameter is 20 percent larger than its polar diameter.
Altair has a spectral class of A7Vn, a surface temperature of 7500° Kelvin and a luminosity 10.6 times greater than that of the Sun. Its mass is equal to 1.79 solar masses, and its diameter is 1.9 times larger than that of the Sun.
5
- Alternative title:α Orion
- Apparent magnitude: 0.50 (variable)
- Distance to the Sun: 495 - 640 St. years
Betelgeuse is a bright star in the constellation Orion. A red supergiant, a semi-regular variable star whose brightness varies from 0.2 to 1.2 magnitude. The minimum luminosity of Betelgeuse is 80 thousand times greater than the luminosity of the Sun, and the maximum is 105 thousand times greater. The distance to the star is, according to various estimates, from 495 to 640 light years. This is one of the largest stars known to astronomers: if it were placed in the place of the Sun, then at its minimum size it would fill the orbit of Mars, and at its maximum it would reach the orbit of Jupiter.
The angular diameter of Betelgeuse, according to modern estimates, is about 0.055 arcseconds. If we take the distance to Betelgeuse to be 570 light years, then its diameter will exceed the diameter of the Sun by approximately 950-1000 times. Betelgeuse's mass is approximately 13-17 solar masses.
4
- Alternative title:α Canis Minor
- Apparent magnitude: 0,38
- Distance to the Sun: 11.46 St. years
To the naked eye, Procyon appears as a single star. Procyon is actually a binary star system, consisting of a main sequence white dwarf called Procyon A and a faint white dwarf called Procyon B. Procyon appears so bright not because of its luminosity, but because of its proximity to the Sun. The system is located 11.46 light years (3.51 parsecs) away and is one of our closest neighbors.
The origin of the name Procyon is very interesting. It is based on long-term observation. The literal translation from Greek is “before the Dog,” a more literary translation is “the harbinger of the dog.” The Arabs called him “Sirius, Shedding Tears.” All names have a direct connection with Sirius, who was worshiped by many ancient peoples. It is not surprising that while observing the starry sky, they noticed the harbinger of the ascending Sirius - Procyon. He appears in the sky 40 minutes earlier, as if running ahead. If you imagine Canis Minor in a drawing, then Procyon should be looked for in its hind legs.
Procyon shines like 8 of our Suns and is the eighth brightest star in the night sky, 6.9 times more luminous than the Sun. The mass of the star is 1.4 times the mass of the Sun, and its diameter is 2 times. It is moving towards the solar system at a speed of 4500 m per second
Finding PROcyon is not difficult. To do this, you need to face south. Find Orion's belt with your eyes and draw a line from the lower star of the belt to the east. You can navigate by the larger constellation Gemini. In relation to the horizon, Canis Minor is below them. And finding Procyon in the constellation Canis will not be difficult, because it is the only bright object, and it attracts with its radiance. Since the constellation Canis Minor is equatorial, that is, it rises very low above the horizon, it rises differently at different times of the year and the best time to observe it is winter.
3
- Alternative title:αAuriga
- Apparent magnitude: 0,08
- Distance to the Sun: 42.6 St. years
Capella is the brightest star in the constellation Auriga, the sixth brightest star in the sky and the third brightest in the sky of the Northern Hemisphere.
Capella (Latin Capella - “Goat”), also Capra (Latin Capra - “goat”), Al Hayot (Arabic العيوق - “goat”) - a yellow giant. In the constellation drawing, Capella is located on the shoulder of Auriga. On maps of the sky, a goat was often drawn on this shoulder of Auriga. It is closer to the north pole of the world than any other star of the first magnitude (the North Star is only of the second magnitude) and as a result plays an important role in many mythological tales.
From an astronomical point of view, Capella is interesting because it is a spectroscopic double star. Two giant stars of spectral class G, with luminosities of about 77 and 78 solar, are 100 million km apart (2/3 of the distance from the Earth to the Sun) and rotate with a period of 104 days. The first and fainter component, Capella Aa, has already evolved from the main sequence and is at the red giant stage; helium burning processes have already begun in the bowels of the star. The second and brighter component, Capella Ab, also left the main sequence and is located at the so-called “Hertzsprung gap” - a transitional stage of stellar evolution, during which thermonuclear fusion of helium from hydrogen in the core has already ended, but helium combustion has not yet begun. Capella is a source of gamma radiation, possibly due to magnetic activity on the surface of one of the components.
The masses of the stars are approximately the same and amount to 2.5 solar masses for each star. In the future, due to expansion to a red giant, the shells of the stars will expand and, quite likely, will touch.
The central stars also have a faint companion, which, in turn, is itself a binary star, consisting of two M-class red dwarf stars orbiting the main pair in an orbit with a radius of approximately one light year.
Capella was the brightest star in the sky from 210,000 to 160,000 BC. e. Before this, the role of the brightest star in the sky was played by Aldebaran, and after that by Canopus.
2
- Alternative title:α Lyra
- Apparent magnitude: 0.03 (variable)
- Distance to the Sun: b> 25.3 St. years
In summer and autumn, in the night sky, in the northern hemisphere of the celestial sphere, the so-called Great Summer Triangle can be distinguished. This is one of the most famous asterisms. We already know that it includes the familiar Deneb and Altair. They are located “lower”, and at the top point of the Triangle is Vega - a bright blue star, which is the main one in the constellation Lyra.
Vega is the brightest star in the constellation Lyra, the fifth brightest star in the night sky and the second (after Arcturus) in the Northern Hemisphere. Vega is located 25.3 light years from the Sun and is one of the brightest stars in its vicinity (at a distance of up to 10 parsecs). This star has a spectral class of A0Va, a surface temperature of 9600° Kelvin, and its luminosity is 37 times greater than that of the Sun. The mass of the star is 2.1 solar masses, the diameter is 2.3 times greater than that of the Sun.
The name "Vega" comes from a rough transliteration of the word waqi ("falling") from the Arabic phrase. النسر الواقع (an-nasr al-wāqi‘), meaning “falling eagle” or “falling vulture”.
Vega, sometimes called by astronomers "probably the most important star after the Sun", is currently the most studied star in the night sky. Vega was the first star (after the Sun) to be photographed, and also the first star to have its emission spectrum determined. Vega was also one of the first stars to which the distance was determined using the parallax method. The brightness of Vega has long been taken as zero when measuring stellar magnitudes, that is, it was the reference point and was one of the six stars that form the basis of the UBV photometry scale (measuring the radiation of a star in various spectral ranges).
Vega rotates very quickly around its axis, at its equator the rotation speed reaches 274 km/s. Vega rotates a hundred times faster, resulting in the shape of an ellipsoid of revolution. The temperature of its photosphere is heterogeneous: the maximum temperature is at the pole of the star, the minimum is at the equator. Currently observed from Earth, Vega is seen almost pole-on, making it appear to be a bright blue-white star. Recently, asymmetries have been identified in Vega's disk, indicating the possible presence of at least one planet near Vega, which could be approximately the size of Jupiter.
In the 12th century BC. Vega was the North Star and will be again in 12,000 years. The "change" of the Polar Stars is associated with the phenomenon of precession of the earth's axis.
1
- Alternative title:α Bootes
- Apparent magnitude:−0.05 (variable)
- Distance to the Sun: 36.7 St. years
Arcturus (Alramech, Azimekh, Colanza) is the brightest star in the constellation Bootes and the northern hemisphere and the fourth brightest star in the night sky after Sirius, Canopus and the Alpha Centauri system. The apparent magnitude of Arcturus is −0.05m. It is part of the Arcturus stellar stream, which, according to Ivan Minchev from the University of Strasbourg and his colleagues, arose as a result of the absorption of another galaxy by the Milky Way about 2 billion years ago.
Arcturus is one of the brightest stars in the sky and therefore is not difficult to find in the sky. Visible anywhere on the globe north of 71° south latitude, due to its slight northern declination. To find it in the sky, you need to draw an arc through the three stars of the handle of the Big Dipper - Aliot, Mizar, Benetnash (Alkaid).
Arcturus is an orange giant of spectral class K1.5 IIIpe. The letters “pe” (from English peculiar emission) mean that the spectrum of the star is atypical and contains emission lines. In the optical range, Arcturus is more than 110 times brighter than the Sun. From observations it is assumed that Arcturus is a variable star, its brightness changes by 0.04 magnitude every 8.3 days. As with most red giants, variability is caused by pulsations of the star's surface. The radius is 25.7 ± 0.3 solar radii, the surface temperature is 4300 K. The exact mass of the star is unknown, but most likely it is close to the solar mass. Arcturus is now at the stage of stellar evolution in which our daylight will be in the future - in the red giant phase. Arcturus is about 7.1 billion years old (but not more than 8.5 billion)
Arcturus, like more than 50 other stars, is located in the Arcturus stream, which unites stars of different ages and metallicity levels, moving at similar speeds and directions. Given the high speeds of stars, it is possible that in the past they were captured and absorbed by the Milky Way along with their parent galaxy. Therefore, Arcturus, one of the brightest and relatively closest stars to us, may have an extragalactic origin.
The name of the star comes from ancient Greek. Ἀρκτοῦρος, ἄρκτου οὖρος, “Guardian of the Bear.” According to one version of the ancient Greek legend, Arcturus is identified with Arkad, who was placed in the sky by Zeus to guard his mother, the nymph Callisto, who was transformed by Hera into a bear (constellation Ursa Major). According to another version, Arkad is the constellation Bootes, whose brightest star is Arcturus.
In Arabic, Arcturus is called Charis-as-sama, "guardian of the heavens" (see Charis).
In Hawaiian, Arcturus is called Hōkūle'a (Gav. Hōkūle'a) - "star of happiness", in the Hawaiian Islands it culminates almost exactly at the zenith. Ancient Hawaiian sailors used its height as a guide when sailing to Hawaii.
Many people in November wonder: what bright star is visible in the east in the morning? She really very bright: other stars pale in comparison with her. It is still easily distinguishable even when here, in the southeast, dawn is already in full swing, washing away other stars from the sky. And then almost until sunrise this star remains completely alone.
I want to congratulate you - you are observing the planet Venus, the brightest luminary in our sky after the Sun and Moon!
Venus is only visible in the morning or evening sky- you will never see her late at night in the south. Her time is the predawn or twilight evening hours, when she literally reigns in the sky.
Check yourself if you are really observing Venus.
- In November and December 2018 Venus is visible in the east in the morning, rising 4 hours before sunrise. It is visible for two hours in the dark sky, and for another hour against the background of the morning dawn.
- Venus color white, near the horizon may be slightly yellowish.
- Venus does not flicker that is, it does not blink, does not tremble, but shines powerfully, evenly and calmly.
- Venus is so bright that it no longer looks like a star, but like the spotlight of an airplane flying towards it. It has long been noted that the bright white light of the planet is capable of cast clear shadows on the snow; The easiest way to check this is outside the city on a moonless night, where the light of Venus is not interfered with by street lights. By the way, according to Russian astronomers, about 30% of reports of UFOs in our country occur on rising or setting Venus.
Venus against the background of the morning dawn is still bright and noticeable, although at this time the stars are practically no longer visible. Pattern: stellarium
In November 2018 - slightly to the right of the planet. Please note: Spica is one of the twenty brightest stars in the entire sky, but next to Venus it simply fades! Another bright star, Arcturus, is located above and to the left of Spica. Arcturus has a characteristic reddish color. So, Venus is much brighter than Arcturus and even more so Spica!
Watch these luminaries for a few minutes and compare their appearance with Venus. Notice how much brighter stars twinkle than Venus. Spica can even shimmer in different colors! Also try to remember the brightness of Venus in comparison with the brightest stars - and you will never confuse it with anything else.
Few things can compare in beauty to Venus in the sky! The planet looks especially beautiful against the background of the flaring dawn. Beautiful celestial pictures are obtained when the crescent Moon is near Venus. The next such meeting will take place on the morning of December 3 and 4, 2018. Do not miss!
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