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 follows 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.
Currently, the brightest star that can be seen in the earth's sky (besides, of course, the Sun) is Sirius. Its apparent magnitude is -1.46. The fact that Sirius is the brightest star in our sky is largely due to its proximity - a star 8.6 light years away from us has a mass of two and a luminosity of twenty-two solar, while in our galaxy there are stars whose luminosity exceeds the solar millions of times. Another thing is that they are much, much further than Sirius.
As you know, the Sun revolves around the center of the Milky Way, making one revolution in about 225 million years. During this drift, some stars approach the solar system, some move away - so over thousands of years, the pattern of the starry sky gradually changes, and visible stars can become both brighter and dimmer.
So, during the Pliocene, the brightest star in the sky was Adara. Now this blue-white giant is located at a distance of 430 light years from us and has an apparent magnitude of +1.51. But 4.7 million years ago, Adara passed from the solar system at a distance of only 34 light years. Considering that the star's luminosity is 20,000 times greater than that of the Sun, at that time it sparkled in the night sky almost as brightly as Venus, having an apparent magnitude of -3.99.
After 300,000 years, Adara was replaced by another bright blue giant, Myrtsam. The star passed at a distance of 37 light years from the Solar System and at that time had an apparent magnitude of -3.65. Since then, Mirtsam has moved away from us to a distance of 500 light years and dimmed to a magnitude of +1.95. Over the next four million years, the brightest stars in the earth's sky were Zeta Hare, Askella, Aldebaran, Capella and three times Canopus. None of these stars could compare in brightness with Adara and Myrtsam - the brightest among them was Askella, which 1.2 million years ago had an apparent magnitude of -2.74.
Of course, Sirius will also not always be the brightest star in the earth's sky. In about 60 thousand years, it will approach the Solar System at a minimum distance of 7.8 light years, reaching a maximum apparent magnitude of -1.64, after which it will begin to gradually move away. In 150 thousand years, Vega will receive the title of the brightest star in our sky. Its maximum apparent magnitude will be -0.8.
In another 270 thousand years, Canopus will become the brightest star in the night sky. The funny thing is that by that time it will be at a distance of 350 light years from us and have an apparent magnitude of only -0.4, while now these figures are 310 light years and -0.72, respectively. But the fact is that by that time other large stars will move away from us to an even greater distance.
After Canopus, the brightest stars in Earth's sky will be Beta Aurigae and Delta Scuti. The latter will surpass Sirius in brightness for some time, reaching an apparent magnitude of -1.8. This will happen in about 1.25 million years.
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The night sky amazes with its beauty and countless number of heavenly fireflies. What is especially fascinating is that their arrangement is structured, as if they were specially placed in the right order, forming star systems. Since ancient times, stargazers have tried to count all these myriads of heavenly bodies and give them names. Today, a huge number of stars have been discovered in the sky, but this is only a small part of all existing vast Universe. Let's look at what constellations and luminaries there are.
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Stars and their classification
A star is a celestial body that emits enormous amounts of light and heat.
It consists mainly of helium (lat. Helium), as well as (lat. Hydrogenium).
The celestial body is in a state of equilibrium due to the pressure inside the body itself and its own.
Emits warmth and light as a result of thermonuclear reactions, occurring inside the body.
What types are there depending on life cycle and structure:
- Main sequence. This is the main life cycle of the star. This is exactly what it is, as well as the vast majority of others.
- Brown dwarf. A relatively small, dim object with a low temperature. The first one was opened in 1995.
- White dwarf. At the end of its life cycle, the ball begins to shrink until its density balances gravity. Then it goes out and cools down.
- Red giant. A huge body that emits a large amount of light, but is not very hot (up to 5000 K).
- New. New stars do not light up, just old ones flare up with renewed vigor.
- Supernova. This is the same new one with the release of a large amount of light.
- Hypernova. This is a supernova, but much larger.
- Bright Blue Variables (LBV). The biggest and also the hottest.
- Ultra X-ray sources (ULX). They release large amounts of radiation.
- Neutron. Characterized by rapid rotation and a strong magnetic field.
- Unique. Double, with different sizes.
Types depending from the spectrum:
- Blue.
- White and blue.
- White.
- Yellow-white.
- Yellow.
- Orange.
- Red.
Important! Most of the stars in the sky are entire systems. What we see as one may actually be two, three, five or even hundreds of bodies of one system.
Names of stars and constellations
The stars have always fascinated us. They became the object of study, both from the mystical side (astrology, alchemy) and from the scientific side (astronomy). People looked for them, calculated them, counted them, put them into constellations, and also give them names. Constellations are clusters of celestial bodies located in a certain sequence.
In the sky, under certain conditions, up to 6 thousand stars can be seen from different points. They have their own scientific names, but about three hundred of them also have personal names that they received from ancient times. Stars mostly have Arabic names.
The fact is that when astronomy was actively developing everywhere, the Western world was experiencing the “dark ages”, so its development lagged significantly behind. Here Mesopotamia was most successful, China less so.
The Arabs not only discovered new but they also renamed the heavenly bodies, who already had a Latin or Greek name. They went down in history with Arabic names. The constellations mostly had Latin names.
Brightness depends on the light emitted, size and distance from us. The brightest star is the Sun. It is not the largest, not the brightest, but it is closest to us.
The most beautiful luminaries with the greatest brightness. The first among them:
- Sirius (Alpha Canis Majoris);
- Canopus (Alpha Carinae);
- Toliman (Alpha Centauri);
- Arcturus (Alpha Bootes);
- Vega (Alpha Lyrae).
Naming periods
Conventionally, we can distinguish several periods in which people gave names to heavenly bodies.
Pre-Antique period
Since ancient times, people have tried to “understand” the sky and gave the night luminaries names. No more than 20 names from those times have reached us. Scientists from Babylon, Egypt, Israel, Assyria and Mesopotamia worked actively here.
Greek period
The Greeks didn't really delve into astronomy. They gave names to only a small number of luminaries. Mostly, they took names from the names of the constellations or simply attributed existing names. All astronomical knowledge of ancient Greece, as well as Babylon, was collected Greek scientist Ptolemy Claudius(I-II centuries) in the works “Almagest” and “Tetrabiblos”.
Almagest (Great Construction) is the work of Ptolemy in thirteen books, where he, based on the work of Hipparchus of Nicea (c. 140 BC), tries to explain the structure of the Universe. He also lists the names of some of the brightest constellations.
Table of celestial bodies described in the Almagest
| Name of the stars | Name of constellations | Description, location |
| Sirius | Big dog | Located in the mouth of the constellation. She is also called the Dog. The brightest of the night sky. |
| Procyon | Small dog | On the hind legs. |
| Arcturus | Bootes | Did not enter Bootes form. It is located below it. |
| Regulus | a lion | Located in the heart of Leo. Also called Tsarskaya. |
| Spica | Virgo | On the left hand. It has another name - Kolos. |
| Antares | Scorpion | Located in the middle. |
| Vega | Lyra | Located on the sink. Another name is Alpha Lyra. |
| Chapel | Auriga | Left shoulder. Also called - Goat. |
| Canopus | Ship Argo | On the keel of the ship. |
Tetrabiblos is another work of Ptolemy Claudius in four books. The list of celestial bodies is supplemented here.
Roman period
The Roman Empire was engaged in the study of astronomy, but when this science began to actively develop, Rome fell. And behind the state, its science fell into decay. However, about a hundred stars have Latin names, although this does not guarantee that they were given names their scientists are from Rome.
Arab period
The fundamental work of the Arabs in the study of astronomy was the work of Ptolemy Almagest. They translated most of them into Arabic. Based on the religious beliefs of the Arabs, they replaced the names of some of the luminaries. Names were often given based on the location of the body in the constellation. So, many of them have names or parts of names meaning neck, leg or tail.
Table of Arabic names
| Arabic name | Meaning | Stars with Arabic names | Constellation |
| Ras | Head | Alpha Hercules | Hercules |
| Algenib | Side | Alpha Persei, Gamma Persei | Perseus |
| Menkib | Shoulder | Alpha Orionis, Alpha Pegasus, Beta Pegasus, Beta Aurigae, Zeta Persei, Phita Centauri |
Pegasus, Perseus, Orion, Centaurus, Auriga |
| Rigel | Leg | Alpha Centauri, Beta Orionis, Mu Virgo | Centaurus, Orion, Virgo |
| Rukba | Knee | Alpha Sagittarius, Delta Cassiopeia, Upsilon Cassiopeia, Omega Cygnus | Sagittarius, Cassiopeia, Swan |
| Sheat | Shin | Beta Pegasus, Delta Aquarius | Pegasus, Aquarius |
| Mirfak | Elbow | Alpha Persei, Capa Hercules, Lambda Ophiuchus, Phita and Mu Cassiopeia | Perseus, Ophiuchus, Cassiopeia, Hercules |
| Menkar | Nose | Alpha Ceti, Lambda Ceti, Upsilon Crow | Keith, Raven |
| Markab | That which moves | Alpha Pegasus, Tau Pegasus, Cape of Sails | Ship Argo, Pegasus |
Renaissance
Since the 16th century in Europe, antiquity has been revived, and with it science. Arabic names did not change, but Arabic-Latin hybrids often appeared.
New clusters of celestial bodies were practically not discovered, but old ones were supplemented with new objects. A significant event of that time was the release of the starry atlas “Uranometry”.
Its compiler was the amateur astronomer Johann Bayer (1603). On the atlas he painted an artistic image of the constellations.
And most importantly, he suggested principle of naming luminaries with the addition of letters from the Greek alphabet. The brightest body of the constellation will be called “Alpha”, the less bright “Beta” and so on until “Omega”. For example, the brightest star in Scorpii is Alpha Scorpii, the less bright Beta Scorpii, then Gamma Scorpii, etc.
Nowadays
With the advent of powerful ones, a huge number of luminaries began to be discovered. Now they are not given beautiful names, but are simply assigned an index with a digital and alphabetic code. But it happens that celestial bodies are given personal names. They are called by names scientific discoverers, and now you can even buy the opportunity to name the luminary as you wish.
Important! The sun is not part of any constellation.
What are the constellations?
Initially, the figures were figures formed by bright luminaries. Nowadays scientists use them as landmarks of the celestial sphere.
The most famous constellations in alphabetical order:
- Andromeda. Located in the northern hemisphere of the celestial sphere.
- Twins. The brightest luminaries are Pollux and Castor. Zodiac sign.
- Big Dipper. Seven stars forming the image of a ladle.
- Big Dog. It has the brightest star in the sky - Sirius.
- Scales. Zodiac, consisting of 83 objects.
- Aquarius. Zodiac, with an asterism forming a jug.
- Auriga. Its most outstanding object is the Chapel.
- Wolf. Located in the southern hemisphere.
- Bootes. The brightest luminary is Arcturus.
- Veronica's hair. Consists of 64 visible objects.
- Crow. It is best seen in mid-latitudes.
- Hercules. Has 235 visible objects.
- Hydra. The most important luminary is Alphard.
- Pigeon. 71 bodies of the southern hemisphere.
- Hound Dogs. 57 visible objects.
- Virgo. Zodiac, with the brightest body - Spica.
- Dolphin. Visible everywhere except Antarctica.
- The Dragon. Northern hemisphere, practically a pole.
- Unicorn. Located on the milky way.
- Altar. 60 visible stars.
- Painter. Includes 49 objects.
- Giraffe. Faintly visible in the northern hemisphere.
- Crane. The brightest is Alnair.
- Hare. 72 celestial bodies.
- Ophiuchus. The 13th sign of the zodiac, but not included in this list.
- Snake. 106 luminaries.
- Golden Fish. 32 objects visible to the naked eye.
- Indian. Faintly visible constellation.
- Cassiopeia. It's shaped like the letter "W".
- Keel. 206 objects.
- Whale. Located in the “water” zone of the sky.
- Capricorn. Zodiac, southern hemisphere.
- Compass. 43 visible luminaries.
- Stern. Located on the milky way.
- Swan. Located in the northern part.
- A lion. Zodiac, northern part.
- Flying fish. 31 objects.
- Lyra. The brightest luminary is Vega.
- Chanterelle. Dim.
- Ursa Minor. Located above the North Pole. It has the North Star.
- Small Horse. 14 luminaries
- Small Dog. Bright constellation.
- Microscope. South part.
- Fly. At the equator.
- Pump. Southern sky.
- Square. Passes through the Milky Way.
- Aries. Zodiacal, having bodies Mezarthim, Hamal and Sheratan.
- Octant. At the South Pole.
- Eagle. At the equator.
- Orion. Has a bright object - Rigel.
- Peacock. Southern Hemisphere.
- Sail. 195 luminaries of the southern hemisphere.
- Pegasus. South of Andromeda. Its brightest stars are Markab and Enif.
- Perseus. It was discovered by Ptolemy. The first object is Mirfak.
- Bake. Almost invisible.
- Bird of paradise. Located near the south pole.
- Cancer. Zodiac, faintly visible.
- Cutter. South part.
- Fish. A large constellation divided into two parts.
- Lynx. 92 visible luminaries.
- Northern Crown. Crown shape.
- Sextant. At the equator.
- Net. Consists of 22 objects.
- Scorpion. The first luminary is Antares.
- Sculptor. 55 celestial bodies.
- Sagittarius. Zodiac.
- Calf. Zodiac. Aldebaran is the brightest object.
- Triangle. 25 stars.
- Toucan. This is where the Small Magellanic Cloud is located.
- Phoenix. 63 luminaries.
- Chameleon. Small and dim.
- Centaurus. Its brightest star for us, Proxima Centauri, is the closest to the Sun.
- Cepheus. Has the shape of a triangle.
- Compass. Near Alpha Centauri.
- Watch. It has an elongated shape.
- Shield. Near the equator.
- Eridanus. Big constellation.
- South Hydra. 32 celestial bodies.
- Southern Crown. Dimly visible.
- Southern Fish. 43 objects.
- South Cross. In the form of a cross.
- Southern Triangle. Has the shape of a triangle.
- Lizard. No bright objects.
What are the constellations of the Zodiac?
Zodiac signs - constellations through which the earth passes through throughout the year, forming a conditional ring around the system. Interestingly, there are 12 accepted zodiac signs, although Ophiuchus, which is not considered a zodiac, is also located on this ring.
Attention! There are no constellations.
By and large, there are no figures at all made up of celestial bodies.
After all, when we look at the sky, we perceive it as plane in two dimensions, but the luminaries are located not on a plane, but in space, at a huge distance from each other.
They do not form any pattern.
Let's say that light from Proxima Centauri, closest to the Sun, reaches us in almost 4.3 years.
And from another object of the same star system, Omega Centauri, it reaches the earth in 16 thousand years. All divisions are quite arbitrary.
Constellations and stars - sky map, interesting facts
Names of stars and constellations
Conclusion
It is impossible to calculate a reliable number of celestial bodies in the Universe. You can't even get close to the exact number. Stars unite into galaxies. Our Milky Way galaxy alone numbers about 100,000,000,000. From Earth using the most powerful telescopes About 55,000,000,000 galaxies can be detected. With the advent of the Hubble telescope, which is in orbit around the Earth, scientists have discovered about 125,000,000,000 galaxies, each with billions, hundreds of billions of objects. What is clear is that there are at least a trillion trillion luminaries in the Universe, but this is only a small part of what is real.
THE BRIGHTEST STARS VISIBLE FROM EARTH
Many people, looking at the sky after sunset, wonder what kind of bright white star appears near the Moon, so I am inclined to think that it is VENUS. It is also visible in the morning at 6 o'clock when I rush to work. But I still collected material for comparison.
Sirius, as we see on Wikpedia, visible BEFORE sunset Knowing the exact coordinates of Sirius in the sky, it can be seen during the day with the naked eye. For best viewing, the sky should be very clear and the Sun should be low above horizon.
Jupiter can reach an apparent magnitude of −2.8, making it the third brightest object in the night sky after the Moon and Venus. However, Jupiter is also called the Great Red Spot. However, at certain moments
Marsmay briefly exceed the brightness of Jupiter. Mars is called the "Red Planet" because of the reddish hue of its surface given by iron oxide. This means that she is not white at all, which is what needed to be proven.
And here Venus, even in the photos of astronomers, it is THERE, UNDER THE MOON, where I and other amateurs see it...
Syria
- (Alpha Canis Major) is located at a distance of 8.64 light years from us and is the brightest star visible in the night sky. A light year is the distance that light travels in one year, it is about 9.5 trillion km. The distance from Earth to Syria is approximately 80 trillion km. Macca Syria is 2.14 times the mass of the Sun, and its brightness is 24 times. It is also almost 2 times hotter: the temperature on its surface is about 100,000 C. Sirius is the star of the Southhemispheres of the sky .In mid latitudesRussia Sirius is observed in the southern part of the sky in autumn (early morning), winter (from sunrise to sunset) and spring (visible some time after sunset).Sirius is the sixth brightest object in the earth's sky. Only brighter than himSun , Moon , as well as planetsVenus , Jupiter AndMars during the period of best visibility (see also:List of the brightest stars ). For some time, Sirius was considered one of the stars of the so-calledmoving group of Ursa Major . This group includes 220 stars, which are united by the same age and similar movement in space. Initially the group wasopen star cluster , however, at present the cluster as such does not exist - it has disintegrated and become gravitationally unbound. So, most of the stars of the asterism belong to this clusterBig Dipper in Ursa Major. However, scientists subsequently came to the conclusion that this is not so - Sirius is much younger than this cluster and cannot be its representative.
Venus
- second internalplanet solar system with an orbital period of 224.7 Earth days. The planet got its name in honorVenus , goddesses love fromroman pantheon deities.
Venus -brightest object in the night sky except Moon , and reachesapparent magnitude at -4.6. Since Venus is closer to the Sun than Earth , it never seems too far from the Sun: the maximum angle between it and the Sun is 47.8°. Venus reaches its maximum brightness shortly before sunrise or some time after sunset, which gave rise to the name Evening Star or
The best time to observe Venus is shortly before sunrise (some time after sunrise in morning visibility).
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