The brightest star in the night sky from earth. We study the names of stars and constellations alphabetically

Not only astronomers and romantics love to look at the sky. We all from time to time raise our eyes to the stars and admire their eternal beauty. That is why each of us is at least sometimes interested in which star in the sky is the brightest.

The Greek scientist Hipparchus first asked this question, and he proposed his classification 22 centuries ago! He divided the stars into six groups, where the first magnitude stars were the brightest he could observe, and the sixth magnitude were those barely visible to the naked eye.

Needless to say that we are talking about relative brightness, and not about the actual ability to glow? Indeed, in addition to the amount of light produced, the brightness of a star observed from Earth is affected by the distance from this star to the observation site. It seems to us that the brightest star in the sky is the Sun, because it is closest to us. In fact, it is not at all a bright and very small star.

Nowadays, approximately the same system for distinguishing stars by brightness is used, only improved. Vega was taken as the reference point, and the brightness of the remaining stars is measured from its indicator. The brightest stars have a negative index.

So, we will consider exactly those stars that are recognized as the brightest according to the improved Hipparchus scale

10 Betelgeuse (α Orionis)

The red giant, with 17 times the mass of our Sun, rounds out the top 10 brightest night stars.

This is one of the most mysterious stars in the Universe, because it is capable of changing its size, while its density remains unchanged. The color and brightness of the giant varies at different points.

Scientists expect Betelgeuse to explode in the future, but given that the star is located at a huge distance from the Earth (according to some scientists - 500, according to others - 640 light years), this should not affect us. However, for several months the star can be seen in the sky even during the day.

9 Achernar (α Eridani)

A favorite of science fiction writers, a blue star with a mass 8 times greater than that of the Sun looks very impressive and unusual. The star Achernar is flattened so that it resembles a rugby ball or a tasty torpedo melon, and the reason for this is the fantastic rotation speed of more than 300 km per second, approaching the so-called separation speed, at which the centrifugal force becomes identical to the force of gravity.

8 Procyon (α Canis Minor)

One of the two “dog stars” is similar to Sirius in that it is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Minor (and Sirius is the brightest star in Canis Major), and in that it is also double.

Procyon A is a pale yellow star about the size of the Sun. It is gradually expanding, and in 10 million years it will become an orange or red giant. According to scientists, the process is already underway, as evidenced by the unprecedented brightness of the star - it is more than 7 times brighter than the sun, although similar in size and spectrum.

Procyon B, its companion, a dim white dwarf, is about the same distance from Procyon A as Uranus is from the Sun.

And there were some mysteries here. Ten years ago, a long-term study of the star was undertaken using an orbiting telescope. Astronomers were eager to get confirmation of their hypotheses. However, the hypotheses were not confirmed, and now scientists are trying to explain what is happening on Procyon in some other way.

Continuing the “dog” theme – the name of the star means “in front of the dog”; this means that Procyon appears in the sky before Sirius.

7 Rigel (β Orionis)

In seventh place in terms of relative (observed by us) brightness is one of the most powerful stars in the Universe with an absolute magnitude of -7, that is, the brightest of the stars located more or less nearby.

It is located 870 light years away, so less bright but closer stars appear brighter to us. Meanwhile, Rigel is 130 thousand times brighter than the Sun and 74 times larger in diameter!

The temperature on Rigel is so high that if something were to be at the same distance from it as the Earth is relative to the Sun, this object would immediately turn into a stellar wind!

Rigel has two companion stars, almost invisible in the bright glow of the blue-white supergiant.

6 Chapel (α Auriga)

Capella ranks third among the brightest stars in the Northern Hemisphere. Of the stars of the first magnitude (the famous Polaris is only of the second magnitude), Capella is located closest to the North Pole.

This is also a double star, and the weaker of the pair is already becoming red, and the brighter is still white, although the hydrogen in its body has obviously already turned into helium, but has not yet ignited.

The name of the star means Goat, because the Greeks identified it with the goat Amalthea, who suckled Zeus.

5 Vega (α Lyra)

The brightest of the Sun's neighbors can be observed throughout the entire Northern Hemisphere and almost the entire Southern Hemisphere, except Antarctica.

Vega is beloved by astronomers for being the second most studied star after the Sun. Although there is still a lot of mystery in this “most studied” star. What can we do, the stars are in no hurry to reveal their secrets to us!

Vega's rotation speed is very high (it rotates 137 times faster than the Sun, almost as fast as Achernar), so the temperature of the star (and therefore its color) differs at the equator and at the poles. Now we see Vega from the pole, so it appears pale blue to us.

Vega is surrounded by a large cloud of dust, the origin of which is controversial among scientists. The question of whether Vega has a planetary system is also debatable.

4 The brightest star in the Northern Hemisphere is Arcturus (α Bootes)

In fourth place is the brightest star in the Northern Hemisphere - Arcturus, which in Russia can be observed anywhere throughout the year. However, it is also visible in the Southern Hemisphere.

Arcturus is many times brighter than the Sun: if we take into account only the range perceived by the human eye, then more than a hundred times, but if we take the intensity of the glow as a whole, then 180 times! This is an orange giant with an atypical spectrum. Someday our Sun will reach the same stage where Arcturus is now.

According to one version, Arcturus and its neighboring stars (the so-called Arcturus Stream) were once captured by the Milky Way. That is, all these stars are of extragalactic origin.

3 Toliman (α Centauri)

This is a double, more precisely, even a triple star, but we see two of them as one, and the third, dimmer, which is called Proxima, as if separately. However, in fact, all these stars are not very bright, but are not far from us.

Since Toliman is somewhat similar to the Sun, astronomers have long and persistently searched for a planet near it, similar to the Earth and located at a distance that makes life possible on it. In addition, this system, as already mentioned, is relatively close, so the first interstellar flight will probably be there.

Therefore, the love of science fiction writers for Alpha Centauri is understandable. Stanislav Lem (the creator of the famous "Solaris"), Asimov, Heinlein devoted pages of their books to this system; The action of the acclaimed film “Avatar” also takes place in the Alpha Centauri system.

2 Canopus (α Carinae) is the brightest star in the Southern Hemisphere

In absolute terms of luminosity, Canopus is much brighter than Sirius, which, in turn, is much closer to Earth, so that objectively it is the brightest night star, but from a distance (it is located at a distance of 310 light years) it seems dimmer to us than Sirius.

Canopus is a yellowish supergiant whose mass is 9 times the mass of the Sun, and it glows 14 thousand times more intensely!

Unfortunately, it is impossible to see this star in Russia: it is not visible north of Athens.

But in the Southern Hemisphere, Canopus was used to determine their location in navigation. In the same capacity, Alpha Carinae is used by our astronauts.

1 The brightest star in our starry sky is Sirius (α Canis Majoris)

The famous “dog star” (it was not for nothing that J. Rowling called her hero, who turned into a dog, that way), the appearance of which in the sky meant the beginning of vacation for ancient schoolchildren (this word means “dog days”) is one of the closest to the solar system and therefore perfectly visible from almost anywhere on Earth, except the Far North.

It is now believed that Sirius is a double star. Sirius A is twice as large as the Sun, and Sirius B is smaller. Although millions of years ago, apparently, it was the other way around.

Many peoples have left various legends associated with this star. The Egyptians considered Sirius to be the star of Isis, the Greeks - the dog of Orion taken to heaven, the Romans called him Canicula (“little dog”), in Old Russian this star was called Psitsa.

The ancients described Sirius as a red star, while we observe a bluish glow. Scientists can only explain this by assuming that all ancient descriptions were compiled by people who saw Sirius low above the horizon, when its color was distorted by water vapor.

Be that as it may, now Sirius is the brightest star in our sky, which can be seen with the naked eye even during the day!

Translation

Do you know them all, as well as the reasons for their brightness?

I'm hungry for new knowledge. The point is to learn every day and become brighter and brighter. This is the essence of this world.
- Jay Z

When you imagine the night sky, you most likely think of thousands of stars twinkling against the black blanket of night, something that can only be truly seen away from cities and other sources of light pollution.

But those of us who don't get to witness such a spectacle on a periodic basis are missing the fact that stars seen from urban areas with high light pollution look different than when viewed in dark conditions. Their color and relative brightness immediately set them apart from their neighboring stars, and each has its own story.

People in the northern hemisphere can probably immediately recognize Ursa Major or the letter W in Cassiopeia, while in the southern hemisphere the most famous constellation has to be the Southern Cross. But these stars are not among the ten brightest!

Milky Way next to the Southern Cross

Each star has its own life cycle, to which it is tied from the moment of birth. When any star forms, the dominant element will be hydrogen - the most abundant element in the Universe - and its fate is determined only by its mass. Stars with 8% the mass of the Sun can ignite nuclear fusion reactions in their cores, fusing helium from hydrogen, and their energy gradually moves from the inside out and pours out into the Universe. Low-mass stars are red (due to low temperatures), 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. By the time it reaches solar mass, the star falls into class G, and its lifetime does not exceed ten billion years. Double the solar mass and you get a class A star that is bright blue and lives for less than two billion years. And the most massive stars, classes O and B, live only a few million years, after which their core runs out of hydrogen fuel. Not surprisingly, the most massive and hot stars are also the brightest. A typical class A star can be 20 times brighter than the Sun, and the most massive ones can be tens of thousands of times brighter!

But no matter how a star begins life, the hydrogen fuel in its core runs out.

And from that moment on, the star begins to burn heavier elements, expanding into a giant star, cooler, but also brighter than the original one. The giant phase is shorter than the hydrogen burning phase, but its incredible brightness makes it visible from much greater distances than the original star was visible from.

Taking all this into account, let's move on to the ten brightest stars in our sky, in increasing order of brightness.

10. Achernar. A bright blue star with seven times the mass of the Sun and 3,000 times the brightness. This is one of the fastest rotating stars known to us! It rotates so fast that its equatorial radius is 56% greater than its polar radius, and the temperature at the pole - since it is much closer to the core - is 10,000 K higher. But it is quite far from us, 139 light years away.

9. Betelgeuse. A red giant star in the Orion constellation, Betelgeuse was a bright and hot O-class star until it ran out of hydrogen and switched to helium. Despite its low temperature of 3,500 K, it is more than 100,000 times brighter than the Sun, which is why it is among the ten brightest, despite being 600 light years away. Over the next million years, Betelgeuse will go supernova and temporarily become the brightest star in the sky, possibly visible during the day.

8. Procyon. The star is very different from those we have considered. Procyon is a modest F-class star, just 40% larger than the Sun, and on the verge of running out of hydrogen in its core - meaning it is a subgiant in the process of evolution. It is about 7 times brighter than the Sun, but is only 11.5 light years away, so it may be brighter than all but seven stars in our sky.

7. Rigel. In Orion, Betelgeuse is not the brightest of the stars - this distinction is awarded to Rigel, a star even more distant from us. It is 860 light years away, and with a temperature of just 12,000 degrees, Rigel is not a main sequence star - it is a rare blue supergiant! It is 120,000 times brighter than the Sun, and shines so brightly not because of its distance from us, but because of its own brightness.

6. Chapel. This is a strange star because it is actually two red giants with temperatures comparable to the Sun, but each is about 78 times brighter than the Sun. At a distance of 42 light years, it is the combination of its own brightness, relatively short distance and the fact that there are two of them that allows Capella to be on our list.

5. Vega. The brightest star from the Summer-Autumn Triangle, the home of the aliens from the film “Contact”. Astronomers used it as a standard "zero magnitude" star. It is located only 25 light years from us, belongs to the stars of the main sequence, and is one of the brightest class A stars known to us, and is also quite young, only 400-500 million years old. Moreover, it is 40 times brighter than the Sun, and the fifth brightest star in the sky. And of all the stars in the northern hemisphere, Vega is second only to one star...

4. Arcturus. The orange giant, on the evolutionary scale, is somewhere between Procyon and Capella. It is the brightest star in the northern hemisphere and can be easily found by the "handle" of the Big Dipper. It is 170 times brighter than the Sun, and following its evolutionary path, it can become even brighter! It is only 37 light years away, and only three stars are brighter than it, all located in the southern hemisphere.

3. Alpha Centauri. This is a triple system in which the main member is very similar to the Sun, and is itself fainter than any star in the ten. But the Alpha Centauri system consists of the stars closest to us, so its location affects its apparent brightness - after all, it is only 4.4 light years away. Not at all like number 2 on the list.

2. Canopus. A white supergiant, Canopus is 15,000 times brighter than the Sun, and is the second brightest star in the night sky, despite being 310 light-years away. It is ten times more massive than the Sun and 71 times larger - it is not surprising that it shines so brightly, but it could not reach the first place. After all, the brightest star in the sky is...

1. Sirius. It is twice as bright as Canopus, and northern hemisphere observers can often see it rising behind the constellation Orion in winter. It flickers frequently because its bright light can penetrate the lower atmosphere better than that of other stars. It's only 8.6 light-years away, but it's a class A star, twice as massive and 25 times brighter than the Sun.

It may surprise you that the top stars on the list are not the brightest or the closest stars, but rather combinations of bright enough and close enough to shine the brightest. Stars located twice as far away have four times less brightness, so Sirius shines brighter than Canopus, which shines brighter than Alpha Centauri, etc. Interestingly, class M dwarf stars, to which three out of every four stars in the Universe belong, are not on this list at all.

What we can take away from this lesson: sometimes the things that seem most striking and most obvious to us turn out to be the most unusual. Common things can be much harder to find, but that means we need to improve our observation methods!

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.

The Sumerians and the ancient Egyptians 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. Fanciful figures adorn 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, into whom the hunter son has turned. 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, 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.

It is pleasant to look at the sky not only for complete romantics and meticulous scientists. Every person from time to time loves to observe one of the most beautiful phenomena of our universe - bright stars. And therefore, it will be interesting for everyone to find out which luminaries are distinguished by the greatest radiance.

Sirius

Without a doubt, the brightest star in the night sky is Sirius. She ranks first in terms of her radiance. It is located in the constellation Canis Major and is clearly visible in the Northern Hemisphere in winter. Residents of the Southern Hemisphere can see it in the summer months, north of the Arctic Circle. Sirius is located approximately 8.6 light years from the Sun and is one of the brightest stars closest to us.

The brilliance of Sirius is a consequence of the proximity of the star to the solar system. It is one of the favorite objects for observation among amateur astronomers. Sirius is equal to 1.46 m.

Sirius is the brightest northern star. Astronomers back in the 19th century noticed that its trajectory, although straight, was still subject to periodic fluctuations. Astronomers began to guess that a hidden star revolving around Sirius with a period of about 50 years was responsible for these trajectory deviations. 18 years after this bold assumption, a small star measuring 8.4 m, belonging to the category of white dwarfs, was found near Sirius.

Canopus

For the first time, the ancient Greek scientist Hipparchus began to think about what the brightest star in the sky was. Its classification was proposed 22 centuries ago. Hipparchus was the first to divide the luminaries according to their brilliance into 6 magnitudes. The two brightest - Sirius and Canopus - are minus first magnitude. Canopus is second in brightness after Sirius, but is much less known. Apparently, for the reason that it is best observed from the Southern Hemisphere. From the northern territories, Canopus is observed only in subtropical latitudes.

For example, in Europe it is visible only from the south of Greece, and in the countries of the former USSR only residents of Turkmenistan can admire it. Astronomers in Australia and New Zealand were the luckiest in this regard. Here Canopus can be observed throughout the year.

According to scientists, the luminosity of Canopus is 15,000 times higher than the sun, which is a huge indicator. This luminary played a big role in navigation.

Currently, Canopus is a white supergiant located at a considerable distance from Earth - about 310 light years, or 2.96 quadrillion kilometers.

Vega

Looking at the sky on warm summer evenings, you can see a bright bluish-white dot. This is Vega - one of the most visible only in the Northern Hemisphere.

Vega is not only the main one in the constellation Lyra. She is the main luminary throughout the summer months. It is very convenient to observe from the Northern Hemisphere due to its location. From the end of spring until mid-autumn, it is the most noticeable luminary.

As with many other stars, many ancient legends are associated with Vega. For example, in the Far East there is a legend that Vega is a princess who fell in love with a simple man (represented in the sky by the star Altair). The girl's father, having learned about this, became angry, forbidding her to see an ordinary mortal. And in fact, Vega is separated from Altair by the foggy Milky Way. Only once a year, according to legend, thousands of forty form a sky bridge with their wings, and lovers have the opportunity to reunite. Later, the princess's tears fall to the ground - this is how the legend explains the meteor shower from the Perseid shower.

Vega is 2 times heavier than the Sun. The luminosity of the star is 37 times greater than the sun. Vega has such a huge mass that it will exist in its current state as a white star for another 1 billion years.

Arcturus

It is one of the brightest stars that can be observed from almost anywhere on Earth. In intensity it is second only to Sirius, Canopus, and the double luminary Alpha Centauri. The star is 110 times brighter than the Sun. Located in

An unusual legend

Arcturus owes its name to the constellation Ursa Major. Translated from ancient Greek, the word “arcturus” means “guardian of the bear.” According to the myth, Zeus placed him in place so that he would guard the nymph Callisto, who was transformed by the goddess Hera into a bear. In Arabic, Arcturus is called differently - “Haris-as-sama”, which means “guardian of the heavens”.

In northern latitudes the star can be observed all year round.

Alpha Centauri

Another one of the brightest stars, known to astronomers since ancient times, is Alpha Centauri. It is part of However, in reality it is not one star - it includes three components: the luminary Centauri A (also known as Toliman), Centauri B and the red dwarf Proxima Centauri.

In terms of age, Alpha Centauri is 2 billion years older than our solar system - this group has been around for about 6 billion years, while the Sun is only 4.5. The characteristics of these luminaries are as close as possible.

If you look at Alpha Centauri without special equipment, it is impossible to distinguish star A from B - it is thanks to this union that the impressive radiance of the star is achieved. However, once you equip yourself with an ordinary telescope, the small distance between the two celestial bodies becomes noticeable. The light emitted by the stars reaches our planet in 4.3 years. It would take 1.1 million years for a modern spacecraft to reach Alpha Centauri, so this is unlikely to be possible in the near future. In summer, the star can be seen in Florida, Texas, and Mexico.

Betelgeuse

This star belongs to the category of red supergiants. The mass of Betelgeuse, or Alpha Orionis, is about 13-17 solar masses, and its radius is 1200 times the solar mass.

Betelgeuse is one of the brightest stars in the night sky. It is 530 light years away from Earth. Its luminosity is 140,000 times higher than that of the Sun.

This red supergiant is one of the largest and brightest stars today. If Betelgeuse were in the central part of the solar system, its surface would absorb several planets - Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. It is assumed that Betelgeuse is only about 10 million years old. Now the star is at a late stage of its evolution, and scientists assume that in the next few million years it will explode and turn into a supernova.

Procyon

The star Procyon is one of the brightest stars. He is the alpha of Canis Minor. In reality, Procyon consists of two luminaries - the second is called Gomeiza. Both of them can be observed without additional optics. The origin of the name “Procyon” is also very interesting. It was based on long-term observation of the starry sky. This word is literally translated as “before the Dog,” and a more literary translation sounds like “the harbinger of the dog.” The Arab peoples called Procyon “Sirius, shedding tears.” All these names have a direct connection with Sirius, who was worshiped by many ancient peoples. It is not surprising that over time, astrologers and priests discovered a harbinger of Sirius appearing in the sky - Procyon. He appears in the sky 40 minutes earlier, as if he were running ahead. If you depict the constellation Canis Minor in the picture, it turns out that Procyon is in its hind legs.

The star is located very close to the Earth - of course, this distance can only be called small by cosmic standards. It is separated from us by 11.41 light years. It moves towards the solar system at a tremendous speed of 4500 m per second. Procyon shines like 8 of our Suns, and its radius is no less than 1.9 times the radius of our star.

Astronomers classify it as a subgiant star. Based on the brightness of the glow, scientists concluded that the nuclear reaction between hydrogen and helium in its depths no longer occurs. Scientists are convinced that the process of star expansion has already begun. After a very long time, Procyon will turn into a red giant.

Polaris is the brightest star in Ursa Ursa.

This light was very unusual. First of all, it is worth paying attention to the fact that it is closest to the planet’s north pole. And due to the daily rotation of the Earth, the stars move as if around the North Star. For this reason, it is often called Northern. As for the South Pole, there are no similar luminaries near it. In ancient times, the axis of the planet was directed to another sphere of the sky, and Vega occupied the place of the North Star.

Those who are interested in what is the brightest star in the sky, observed from the Northern Hemisphere, should know: Polaris cannot be called such. However, it is easy to find it if you extend the line connecting the two luminaries of the Ursa Major bucket. Polaris is the very last star in the bucket handle of this constellation's neighbor, Ursa Minor. The brightest star in this cluster is also this luminary.

The Big Dipper is also of interest to astronomers. It is easy to see thanks to the shape of the bucket, which is clearly visible in the sky. The brightest star in the constellation is Alioth. In reference books, it is denoted by the letter epsilon, and it ranks 31st in brightness among all visible luminaries.

At present, as in the days of ancient astronomers, the average person can observe the stars from the surface of the earth. However, it is quite possible that our great-grandchildren will be able to go to the brightest luminaries and learn much more interesting and entertaining information about them.

The science

The night sky is full incredibly beautiful objects, which can be seen even with the naked eye. If you do not have special equipment to look at the sky - it does not 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

Very hot neighbor of the Earth - 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 value 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 just after sunset.

The largest star

The largest star known to science - VY Canis Majoris, a type M red hypergiant, which 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 rich orange-red, but sometimes it takes on a strange purple hue.

Although Mu Cephei is a little dim, its reddish tint can be seen even with the naked eye, and if you take a simple binoculars, the spectacle will be more impressive.

The most distant 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 this object as "a small cloud".

Even if armed with binoculars or an amateur telescope, Andromeda will still look like slightly elongated blurry spot. But still, it is very impressive, especially if you know that the light from it gets to us. in 2.5 million years!

By the way, the Andromeda galaxy is approaching our Milky Way galaxy. Astronomers have estimated that these two galaxies will collide 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 those who wish to look at the sky will remain on Earth after so many years.