The brightest star in our sky. The brightest star in the sky
People have always admired the starry sky. Back in the Stone Age, living in caves and dressed in skins, at night they raised their heads to the sky and admired the glowing lights.
Today the stars still attract our eyes. We know well that the brightest of them is the Sun. But what are the others called? What are the brightest stars besides the Sun?
1 Sirius
Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. It is not much higher (only 22 times), but due to its proximity to the Earth, it is more noticeable than others. The star can be seen from almost any corner of the globe, except for the northern regions.
In 1862, astronomers discovered that Sirius had a companion star. Both of them revolve around a single center of mass, but only one of them is visible from the Earth - Sirius A. According to scientists, the star is gradually approaching the Sun. Its speed is 7.6 km / s, so over time it will become even brighter.
2. Canopus
Canopus is in the constellation Carina and is the second brightest after Sirius. It belongs to the supergiants, exceeding the Sun in radius by 65 times.
Among all the stars located at a distance of 700 light years from Earth, Canopus has the highest luminosity, but due to its remoteness, it does not shine as brightly as Sirius. Once, before the invention of the compass, sailors used it as a guiding star.
3. Toliman
Toliman is another name for Alpha Centauri. In fact, it is a binary system with stars A and B, but these stars are so close to each other that they cannot be distinguished with the naked eye. The third brightest in the sky is one of them - Alpha Centauri A.
In the same system there is another star - Proxima Centauri, but usually it is considered separately, and in terms of brightness it is not even included in the 25 stars with the highest luminosity.
4. Arcturus
Arcturus belongs to the orange giants and shines brighter than other stars included with it. In different regions of the Earth, it can be seen at different times of the year, but in Russia it is always visible.
According to the observations of astronomers, Arcturus is a variable star, that is, changing its brightness. Every 8 days, its brightness varies by 0.04 magnitude, which is explained by the pulsation of the surface.
5. Vega
The fifth brightest star is included in the constellation Lyra and is the most studied after the Sun. Vega is located a short distance from solar system(only 25 light years) and is visible from anywhere on the planet, with the exception of Antarctica and the northern regions of North America.
Around Vega is a disk of gas and dust, which, under the influence of its energy, emits infrared rays.
6. Chapel
From an astronomical point of view, the star is interesting for its binary system. Capella is two giant stars, 100 million kilometers apart. One of them called Chapel Aa is old and gradually begins to fade. 
The second one, Capella Ab, still shines quite brightly, but, according to scientists, the processes of helium synthesis have already ended in it. Sooner or later, the shells of both stars will expand and touch each other.
7. Rigel
The luminosity of Rigel is 130 thousand times greater than the Sun. This is one of the most powerful stars in the Milky Way, but due to its remoteness from the solar system (773 light years), it is only seventh in brightness.
Like Arcturus, Rigel is considered a variable star and changes its brightness at intervals of 22 to 25 days.
8. Procyon
Procyon's distance from Earth is only 11.4 light years. Its system includes two stars - Procyon A (bright) and Procyon B (dim). The first is a yellow subgiant and shines about 7.5 times brighter than the Sun. Due to its age, over time it will begin to expand and will shine much better.
It is believed that sooner or later it will increase to 150 times its current size, and then take on an orange or red color.
9. Achernar
In the list of the 10 brightest stars in the sky, Achernar takes only ninth place, but at the same time she is the hottest and bluest. The star is located in the constellation Eridani and shines 3000 times brighter than the Sun.
An interesting feature of Achernar is a very fast rotation around its axis, as a result of which it has an elongated shape.
10. Betelgeuse
Betelgeuse's maximum luminosity is 105,000 times that of the Sun, but it's about 640 light-years from the solar system, so it's not as bright as the previous nine stars. 
Due to the fact that the brightness of Betelgeuse gradually decreases from the center to the surface, scientists still cannot calculate its diameter.
The star Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky.
The brightest star in the sky is undoubtedly Sirius. It shines in the constellation Canis Major and is highly visible in the Northern Hemisphere during the winter months.
Parameters
In the Southern Hemisphere, it is visible during summer, north of the Arctic Circle. The star is located approximately 8.6 light years from the Sun and is one of the stars closest to us. Its brilliance is the result of its true brightness and its proximity to us.
Sirius, one of the easiest objects for amateur astronomy, is very bright, with a magnitude of -1.46. Therefore, astrophotographers can get good photos of it.
At the same time, its brightness makes it a rather difficult subject to photograph - data processing requires good preparation.
However, many astronomers manage to tame the scorching Sirius, and you can see the result of their labors in this exquisite photo taken January 1, 2013.
Invisible satellite
Sirius B is visible to the left of the star
Back in the 19th century, astronomers, when studying Sirius, drew attention to the fact that its trajectory, although it is a straight line, is subject to periodic fluctuations. In the projection of the starry sky, it (the trajectory) looked like a wavy curve.
Moreover, it was possible to detect its periodic fluctuations even in a short period of time, which in itself was already surprising since we were talking about stars - which are billions of kilometers away from us. Astronomers have suggested that a hidden object that revolves around Sirius with a period of about 50 years is to blame for such “wobbles”.
18 years after a bold assumption, near Sirius, it was possible to discover a small star, which has a magnitude of 8.4 and is the first discovered white dwarf, moreover, also the most massive one discovered to date.
List of brightest stars
| № | Name | Distance, St. years | Apparent value | Absolute value | Spectral class | celestial hemisphere |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0,0000158 | −26,72 | 4,8 | G2V | ||
| 1 | 8,6 | −1,46 | 1,4 | A1Vm | Southern | |
| 2 | 310 | −0,72 | −5,53 | A9II | Southern | |
| 3 | 4,3 | −0,27 | 4,06 | G2V+K1V | Southern | |
| 4 | 34 | −0,04 | −0,3 | K1.5IIIp | Northern | |
| 5 | 25 | 0.03 (variable) | 0,6 | A0Va | Northern | |
| 6 | 41 | 0,08 | −0,5 | G6III + G2III | Northern | |
| 7 | ~870 | 0.12 (variable) | −7 | B8Iae | Southern | |
| 8 | 11,4 | 0,38 | 2,6 | F5IV-V | Northern | |
| 9 | 69 | 0,46 | −1,3 | B3Vnp | Southern | |
| 10 | ~530 | 0.50 (variable) | −5,14 | M2Iab | Northern | |
| 11 | ~400 | 0.61 (variable) | −4,4 | B1III | Southern | |
| 12 | 16 | 0,77 | 2,3 | A7Vn | Northern | |
| 13 | ~330 | 0,79 | −4,6 | B0.5Iv + B1Vn | Southern | |
| 14 | 60 | 0.85 (variable) | −0,3 | K5III | Northern | |
| 15 | ~610 | 0.96 (variable) | −5,2 | M1.5Iab | Southern | |
| 16 | 250 | 0.98 (variable) | −3,2 | B1V | Southern | |
| 17 |
View of the sky in January in the middle latitudes of Russia around midnight
The article will help you navigate the star maps:
"How to use the star map"
We remind you: true midnight in Bratsk comes around 1 am local time!
why so, we read in the material: Games with time. When does noon come in Bratsk? ,
and after October 26, 2014 we read in the material: Clocks in the Irkutsk region will be transferred once and for all
THE PATH OF THE CIRCOPOLAR CONSTELLATIONS
Ladle Ursa Major begins its journey in the evening to the right of Ursa Minor, balancing on the handle of the Bucket, turns around during the night polar star counterclockwise by about 120 degrees, at the same time, rising higher and higher above the northeast, by the middle of the night it completely overturns the Bucket, approaching the zenith over polar star . By the morning Big Dipper moves to the northwestern part of the sky, scratching the zenith with a pen.
Starry sky in January from the northern horizon in the middle latitudes of Russia:
The same turn is made by other circumpolar constellations. Cassiopeia, whose figure lines look like the letter "M" or "W", shines to the left in the evening sky Polar in the northwestern part of the sky, descending towards the northern horizon by morning (letter "W"). The Dragon with an easily distinguishable trapezoid Encircles the head in the evening Ursa Minor from below at the northern horizon, by morning climbing with its tail to the zenith above polar star. "House" Cepheus, located between Cassiopeia and dragon makes the same cycle around Polar on the left, moving to the northeastern part of the sky by morning.
The constellation is very noticeable over the northwestern horizon in the evenings. swan(in the form of a huge cross) with a bright star Deneb, and at the northernmost horizon a star sparkles Vega from summer constellation Lyra.
FROM THE EVENING...
In the evening, the constellation begins its ascent over the eastern horizon. lion, and bright winter constellations sparkle over the south: Taurus, Gemini, Orion, Canis Major and Minor. The constellation leans to the west Pisces and Square Pegasus. At the zenith they sparkle Auriga with a bright star Chapel and constellation Perseus. High in the southwestern sky is located Andromeda(between Perseus and Pegasus). Under Andromeda two bright stars visible Aries. The constellation rises above the northeastern horizon Bootes with a bright orange star Arcturus .
The evening sky in January at the middle latitude of Russia (56 N):
from the eastern horizon around 21:00:
from the southern horizon around 21:00:
around 21:00:
This is a favorable period for observations of one of our nearest galactic neighbors Andromeda Nebulae (M31). It is easily distinguishable even with binoculars as a large elongated foggy spot above the star ν Andromeda. This beautiful spiral galaxy is located at a distance of 252 million light years from Earth. Its length is 260 thousand light years, which is 2.6 times greater than that of the Milky Way. In the firmament of the Earth, it occupies an area of 3.2 ° × 1.0 °. The magnitude is +3.4m.
Andromeda Nebula and its position in the constellation
The magnificent scattering of Pleiades stars (M45), similar to a small bucket, is easily visible with a simple glance in the constellation Taurus (in September it rises around midnight). The nine brightest stars of the cluster got their names in honor of the seven sisters of the Pleiades of ancient Greek mythology: Alcyone, Keleno, Maya, Merope, Sterope, Taygeta and Electra, as well as their parents - Atlanta and Pleione. Long exposures reveal luminous blue nebulae that envelop the stars. The Pleiades star cluster is about 12 light-years across and contains about 1,000 stars. The age of the Pleiades is estimated at 100 million years, and the distance to them is approximately 440 light years. It was previously believed that the dust that forms the nebula is the remnants of the substance from which the stars of the cluster were formed. However, in 100 million years this matter would have been dispersed by the pressure of stellar radiation. Apparently, the Pleiades are just now moving through a region of space saturated with cosmic dust.
The open star cluster of the Pleiades (the old Russian name is Stozhary) and its position in the constellation.
AT NIGHT...
Be sure to look at the three stars just below Orion's Belt. The average of them in binoculars is resolved to an irregularly shaped blurry spot called Great Nebula of Orion M42, where the development of very young stars is currently taking place, is a kind of cosmic nursery. This is the most attractive object in the northern sky for astronomy lovers.
Orion constellation over Loch Eske in Ireland
In medium amateur telescopes, the nebula appears in the form of a bat - with a bright center and rapidly decreasing brightness of the "wings". At the center of the nebula is a trapezoid of four young stars. It was here that the Hubble telescope noticed the protoplanetary disk. The distance to the Orion Nebula is about 1350 light years and is 33 light years across. A sort of "comma" adjoins the northern part of M42 - a small emission nebula, which received the designation M43.
The Great Nebula of Orion and its position in the constellation
photo: Svetlana Kulkova (Bratsk)
At night in the southeastern region of the sky is the trapezoid constellation lion with a bright star Regulus. Orange sparkles in the east Arcturus from the constellation Bootes. The constellation moves near the southern horizon Big Dog with the brightest star in the sky Sirius. The stars are shining in the southwest Orion, and high above the western horizon, a bright orange star Aldebaran in the constellation Taurus above them a star shines Chapel from Charioteer. In the northwest they come Andromeda With Aries, high above them accompanies them Perseus.
from the western horizon about 7 hours:
In the first days of the new year, the meteor shower Quadrantid shows its activity. The largest number of shooting stars (up to two hundred per hour) can be seen on the night of January 3-4, flying out of the constellation Bootes.
Clear skies and exciting observations!
If you ask any random person, then almost everyone will answer - "". This star is without a doubt the brightest and most popular, which is why most people think that she is popular because she is the brightest. However, it is not. Polaris takes only 42nd place 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. In the formation of any star, 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 out into the Universe. Stars of low mass, due to 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 a star gains mass, the hotter its core, and the larger the region in which nuclear fusion takes place. Not surprisingly, the most massive and hottest stars are also the brightest. The most massive and hottest stars can be tens of thousands of times brighter than the Sun!
What is the brightest star in the sky?
This is not as simple a question as it seems. It all depends on what you mean by the brightest star.
Speaking of the brightest star in the sky that we see- that's one thing. And if by brightness we mean the amount of light emitted by a star, then this is completely different. One star in the sky can be brighter than another simply because it is closer than the larger, brighter stars.
When they talk about the brightest star in the sky
When talking about the brightest star in the sky, it is necessary to distinguish between the apparent and absolute brightness of the stars. They are usually called the apparent and absolute stellar magnitudes, respectively.
- Apparent magnitude is the brightness of a star in the night sky as viewed from Earth.
- The absolute magnitude is the brightness of a star from a distance of 10 parsecs.
The smaller 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 highly visible in the Northern Hemisphere during the winter months. The apparent stellar magnitude of Sirius is -1.46 m. Sirius is 20 times brighter than the Sun and twice as massive as it. The star is located approximately 8.6 light years from the Sun and is one of the stars closest 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. double star- a system of two gravitationally bound stars circulating 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 to be 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 660 million more years, after which it will turn into a red giant, and then shed its outer shell and become a white dwarf. Therefore, the estimated duration life cycle Sirius A can be about 1 billion years.
List of brightest stars
Distance: 0.0000158 light years
Apparent magnitude: −26,72
Absolute magnitude: 4,8
Sirius (α Canis Major)
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
Previously, many people were mistaken, believing that the brightest star is the North. However, in terms of its “shining” capabilities, this star is somewhat behind Sirius, and in the city night sky, due to the illumination of lanterns, it can be problematic to find the North Star.
Among the brightest celestial bodies, it is impossible not to mention the Sun, which ideally supports life on our planet. It really shines brightly, however, on the scale of the entire Universe, it is not too big and bright. If we find the absolute value, then such a parameter for the Sun will be equal to 4.75. This means that if the celestial body were located in 10 parsecs, then it would hardly be possible to notice it with the naked eye. There are other stars that are much larger in size than our heavenly body, and, therefore, shine much brighter.
It is the brightest star that can be observed from Earth. It is perfectly visible from almost all points of our planet, but it can be best observed in the northern hemisphere in winter. People have honored Sirius since ancient times. For example, the Egyptian people, with the help of this star, determined when the Nile River would begin to flood and when the sowing campaign should begin. From the appearance of a star, the Greeks counted the approach of the hottest days of the year. Sirius was considered no less important for sailors, who with its help navigated the sea. To find Sirius in the night sky, one has only to mentally draw a line between the three stars of Orion's belt. At the same time, one end of the line will rest against Aldebaran, and the other - against Sirius, which pleases the eye with an unusually bright glow.
This star, being in the constellation big dog, is double. It is located at a distance of only eight light years from Earth. It consists of Sirius A (bright and large) and Sirius B (white dwarf), which indicates that the star is a system.
This star, although not as famous as Sirius, is second only to him in brightness. From the territory of our country, this star is almost impossible to see (as well as from almost the entire northern hemisphere). However, in the southern hemisphere, Canopus is a kind of guiding star, which is used as an orienting sign by navigators. In Soviet times, it was the main one for astrocorrection, and Sirius was used as a backup star.
This star, located in the Tarantula Nebula, cannot be seen without special instruments. And all because it is located far from the Earth - at a distance of 165,000 light years. But, nevertheless, it is the brightest and one of the largest stars that are known today in our universe. This star is 9,000,000 times brighter than the light of the Sun, and it is 10,000,000 times larger than it. A star with such an incomprehensible name belongs to the class of blue giants, which are quite a rarity. Since there are very few such stars, they are of genuine interest to scientists. Most of all, researchers are interested in what it will turn into after its death, and they model various options.
The largest star, which is also considered the brightest. The dimensions of VY Canis Majora were determined relatively recently. If you place this star in the central part of the solar system, then its edge can block the orbit of Jupiter, just a little short of reaching the orbit of Saturn. And if you stretch the circumference of the star into a line, then in order for the light to overcome this distance, you need at least 8-5 hours. In diameter, this celestial object exceeds the diameter of the Earth by two thousand times. And, despite the fact that the density of the star is quite small (0.01 g/m3), this object is still considered to be quite bright.