The brightest of the stars. What is the brightest star in the sky

Below is a list of the most powerful stars, the stars are arranged in order of increasing absolute magnitude (decreasing luminosity). Absolute magnitude is the apparent brightness of a star at a distance of 10 parsecs. Absolute ... ... Wikipedia

This is a list of the brightest stars in the constellation Canis Minor. The stars are sorted in order of decreasing apparent brightness. Name Symbol F HD HIP Right ascension Dec. abs. Distance (sv.g) Spectral type Add.sv Procyon α 10 61421 37279 ... ... Wikipedia

The ratio of the sizes of the planets of the solar system and some well-known stars, including VY Canis Major: Mercury< Марс < Венера < Земля; … Википедия

The style of this article is not encyclopedic or violates the norms of the Russian language. The article should be corrected according to the stylistic rules of Wikipedia ... Wikipedia

This is a list of the brightest stars in the constellation Cepheus. The stars are sorted in order of decreasing apparent brightness. Name Symbol F HD HIP Right ascension Dec. abs. Distance (st. g) Spectral type Additional information α Cep α 5 ... ... Wikipedia

This is a list of the brightest stars in the constellation Cancer. The stars are sorted in order of decreasing apparent brightness. Name Symbol F HD HIP Right ascension Dec. abs. Distance (sv.g) Spectral type Additional information β Cancer β 17 ... ... Wikipedia

This list lists all the stars of the constellation Auriga up to the apparent magnitude of +6.5m and other stars of particular interest, such as: variables, with planetary systems, supernovae, etc. Name B F HD HIP RA Dec ... ... Wikipedia

This list lists all the stars of the constellation Bootes up to an apparent magnitude of +6.5m and other stars of particular interest, such as: variables, with planetary systems, supernovae, etc. Name B F HD HIP ... Wikipedia

This is a list of the brightest stars in the constellation Vulpecula. The stars are sorted in order of decreasing apparent brightness. Name Symbol F HD HIP Right ascension Dec. abs. Distance (st. g) Spectral type Additional information α Vul α 6 ... ... Wikipedia

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THE BRIGHTEST STARS VISIBLE FROM THE EARTH

Many, looking at the sky after sunset, wonder what kind of bright white star appears near the moon, so I tend to think that it is VENUS. It is also visible in the morning at 6 o'clock, when I rush to work. But still, for comparison, I collected material.

Sirius, as we see on Wikipedia, is 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 must be very clear and the Sun 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 points

Marsmay briefly exceed Jupiter in brightness. Mars is called the "Red Planet" because of the reddish hue of the surface given to it by iron oxide. So, not white at all, which was required to be proved.

But Venus, even in the photo of astronomers, it is THERE, UNDER THE MOON, where I and other lovers see it ...

Syriac

- (alpha constellation 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. The Macca of Syria is 2.14 times the mass of the Sun, and the 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 Southernhemispheres of the sky .In mid-latitudesRussia Sirius is observed in the southern part of the sky in autumn (in the morning), in winter (from sunrise to sunset) and in spring (visible for 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 brightest stars ). For some time, Sirius was considered one of the stars of the so-calledmoving group Ursa Major . This group includes 220 stars, which are united by the same age and similar movement in space. The group was originallyopen star cluster , however, at present, the cluster as such does not exist - it broke up and became gravitationally unbound. So, most of the asterism stars belong to this cluster.Big Bucket in the Big Dipper. However, later scientists 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 a period of revolution of 224.7 Earth days. The planet was named afterVenus , goddesses love outRoman pantheon deities.

Venus -brightest object in the night sky except for 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 reason to call it also Evening Star or

The best time to observe Venus is shortly before sunrise (some time after sunrise in morning visibility).

10

• Alternative name:α Orionis
• 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 magnitudes. The minimum luminosity of Betelgeuse is 80 thousand times greater than the luminosity of the Sun, and the maximum is 105 thousand times. 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 a minimum size it would fill the orbit of Mars, and at a 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 equal to 570 light years, then its diameter will exceed the diameter of the Sun by about 950-1000 times. The mass of Betelgeuse is approximately 13-17 solar masses.

9

• Alternative name:α Eridani
• Apparent magnitude: 0,46
• Distance to the Sun: 69 St. years

Achernar is the brightest star in the constellation Eridani and the ninth brightest star in the entire night sky. It is located at the southern end of the constellation. Of the ten brightest stars, Achernar is the hottest and bluest. The star rotates unusually quickly around its axis, which is why it has a very elongated shape. Achernar is a double star. As of 2003, Achernar is the least spherical star ever studied. The star rotates at a speed of 260-310 km/s, which is up to 85% of the break up velocity. Due to the high rotation speed, Achernar is strongly flattened - its equatorial diameter is more than 50% larger than its polar diameter. Achernar's axis of rotation is tilted at an angle of about 65% to the line of sight.

Achernar is a bright blue binary star with a total mass of about eight solar masses. It is a main sequence star of spectral type B6 Vep, with a luminosity of more than three thousand times that of the Sun. The distance from the star to the solar system is approximately 139 light years.

Observations of the star with the VLT have shown that Achernar has a companion orbiting at a distance of about 12.3 AU. and rotating with a period of 14-15 years. Achernar B is a star with a mass of about two solar masses, spectral type A0V-A3V.

The name comes from the Arabic آخر النهر (ākhir an-nahr) - "end of the river" and most likely originally belonged to the star θ Eridani, which bears its own name Akamar with the same etymology.

8

• Alternative name:α Small Dog
• Apparent magnitude: 0,38
• Distance to the Sun: 11.46 St. years

To the naked eye, Procyon looks like a single star. In fact, Procyon is a binary star system consisting of a main sequence white dwarf called Procyon A and a faint white dwarf called Procyon B. Procyon looks so bright not because of its luminosity, but because of its proximity to the Sun. The system is located at a distance of 11.46 light years (3.51 parsecs) and is one of our closest neighbors.

The origin of the name Procyon is very interesting. It is based on long observation. The literal translation from the Greek is "before the Dog", more literary - "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. Not surprisingly, observing the starry sky, they noticed the harbinger of the rising Sirius - Procyon. He appears in the sky 40 minutes earlier, as if running ahead. If you imagine Canis Minor in the picture, 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, the luminosity is 6.9 times greater than that of the Sun. The mass of the star is 1.4 times the mass of the Sun, and the 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 the belt of Orion 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, the Small Dog is below them. And finding Procyon in the constellation Canis is not 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 for its observations is winter.

7

• Alternative name:β Orionis
• Apparent magnitude: 0.12 (variable)
• Distance to the Sun:~870 St. years

With an apparent magnitude of 0.12, Rigel is the seventh brightest star in the sky. Its absolute magnitude is -7 and it is located at a distance of ~870 light-years from us.

Rigel has a spectral class of B8Iae, a surface temperature of 11,000 Kelvin, and its luminosity is 66,000 times greater than that of the Sun. The star has a mass of 17 solar masses and a diameter 78 times that of the Sun.

Rigel is the brightest star in our local region of the Milky Way. The star is so bright that when viewed from a distance of one astronomical unit (the distance from the Earth to the Sun), it will shine as an extremely bright ball with an angular diameter of 35 ° and an apparent magnitude of -32 (for comparison: the apparent magnitude is − 26.72). The power flow at this distance will be the same as from a welding arc from a distance of a few millimeters. Any object so close will be vaporized by the strong stellar wind.

Rigel is a famous binary star, which was first observed by Vasily Yakovlevich Struve in 1831. Although Rigel B has a relatively faint magnitude, its proximity to Rigel A, which is 500 times brighter, makes it one of the targets of amateur astronomers. According to calculations, Rigel B is removed from Rigel A at a distance of 2200 astronomical units. Due to such a colossal distance between them, there is no sign of orbital motion, although they have the same proper motion.

Rigel B itself is a spectroscopic binary consisting of two main sequence stars orbiting a common center of gravity every 9.8 days. Both stars belong to the spectral class B9V.

Rigel is a variable star, which is not common in supergiants, with a magnitude range of 0.03-0.3, changing every 22-25 days.

6

• Alternative name:α Aurigae
• 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 (lat. Capella - "Goat"), also Capra (lat. Capra - "goat"), Al Khayot (Arabic العيوق - "goat") - a yellow giant. In the drawing of the constellation, Capella is located on the shoulder of the Auriga. On sky maps, a goat was often drawn on this shoulder of the Charioteer. It is closer to the north celestial pole than any other star of the first magnitude (the North Star is only of the second magnitude) and therefore plays an important role in many mythological tales.

From an astronomical point of view, Capella is interesting in that it is a spectroscopic binary star. Two giant stars of spectral class G, with a luminosity 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 stage of a red giant, helium combustion processes have already begun in the interior of the star. The second and brighter component - Capella Ab has also left the main sequence and is on the so-called "Hertzsprung gap" - a transitional stage in the evolution of stars, in which the thermonuclear synthesis 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 the expansion to the red giant, the shells of the stars will expand and, quite likely, will come into contact.

The central stars also have a faint companion, which, in turn, is itself a double star, consisting of two class M stars - red dwarfs orbiting the main pair in an orbit with a radius of about one light year.

Capella was the brightest star in the sky from 210,000 to 160,000 BC. e. Prior to this, the role of the brightest star in the sky was played by Aldebaran, and after that by Canopus.

5

• Alternative name: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 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 at a distance of 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 type 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 that of the Sun.

The name "Vega" comes from an approximate transliteration of the word waqi ("falling") from the phrase Arab. النسر الواقع‎ (an-nasr al-wāqi‘), meaning “falling eagle” or “falling vulture”.

Vega, sometimes referred to by astronomers as "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. Also, Vega was one of the first stars to which the distance was determined by the parallax method. The brightness of Vega has long been taken as zero when measuring stellar magnitudes, that is, it was a reference point and was one of the six stars that underlie the scale of UBV photometry (measurement of star radiation in various spectral ranges).

Vega rotates very quickly around its axis, at its equator the rotation speed reaches 274 km / s. Vega spins a hundred times faster, resulting in an ellipsoid of revolution. The temperature of its photosphere is not uniform: the maximum temperature is at the pole of the star, and the minimum temperature is at the equator. At present, from Earth, Vega is observed almost from the pole, and therefore it appears as a bright blue-white star. Recently, asymmetries have been identified in the disk of Vega, indicating the possible presence of at least one planet near Vega, which may be approximately the size of Jupiter.

In the XII century BC. Vega was the North Star and will be again in 12,000 years. The "change" of the Polar stars is connected with the phenomenon of the precession of the earth's axis.

4

• Alternative name:α Bootes
• Apparent magnitude:−0.05 (variable)
• Distance to the Sun: 36.7 St. years

Arcturus (Alramech, Azimech, 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 enters the Arcturus stellar stream, which, according to Ivan Minchev of 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 easy to find in the sky. Visible anywhere in the world north of 71° S due to its slight northerly declination. To find it in the sky, you need to lay an arc through the three stars of the handle of the Big Dipper bucket - Aliot, Mizar, Benetnash (Alkaid).

Arcturus is an orange giant of spectral type K1.5 IIIpe. The letters "pe" (from the 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, the reason for the variability is the pulsation of the star's surface. Radius - 25.7 ± 0.3 solar radii, surface temperature - 4300 K. The exact mass of the star is unknown, but most likely close to the solar mass. Arcturus is now at that stage of stellar evolution, in which our daylight star will be in the future - in the red giant phase. The age of Arcturus is about 7.1 billion years (but not more than 8.5 billion)

Arcturus, like more than 50 other stars, is in the Arcturus stream, which brings together stars of different age and metallicity level, moving with similar speed and direction. Given the high speeds of the 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 close stars to us, may have an extragalactic origin.

The name of the star comes from other 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 protect his mother, the nymph Callisto, who was turned by Hera into a bear (the constellation Ursa Major). According to another version, Arkad is the constellation of Bootes, the brightest star of which is Arcturus.

In Arabic, Arcturus is called Haris-as-sama, "keeper of the heavens" (see Haris).

In Hawaiian, Arcturus is called Hokulea (gav. Hōkūle’a) - “star of happiness”, in the Hawaiian Islands it culminates almost exactly at its zenith. Ancient Hawaiian navigators relied on its height when they sailed to Hawaii.

3

• Alternative name:α Centauri
• Apparent magnitude: −0,27
• Distance to the Sun: 4.3 St. years

Alpha Centauri is a double star in the constellation Centaurus. Both components, α Centauri A and α Centauri B, are visible to the naked eye as a single star −0.27m, making α Centauri the third brightest star in the night sky. Most likely, this system also includes the red dwarf Proxima, or α Centauri C, invisible to the naked eye, which is 2.2 ° away from the bright binary star. All three are the closest stars to the Sun, with Proxima somewhat closer than the others at the moment.

α Centauri has its own names: Rigel Centaurus (romanization of Arabic رجل القنطور‎ - “foot of the Centaur”), Bungula (possibly from Latin ungula - “hoof”) and Toliman (possibly from Arabic الظلمان‎ [al-Zulman] "Ostrich"), but they are used quite rarely.

The first star, Centauri A, is very similar to the Sun. There is a cold thin layer in the atmosphere. The mass of Alpha is 0.08 more than the mass of the Sun, it shines brighter and hotter. She is often reproached that she obscures Beta Centauri, but thanks to the dual union, her girlfriends are visible in the sky.

The second star - Centaurus B is 12% smaller than the Sun, therefore, it is colder. It is separated from Centaurus A by a distance of 23 astronomical units. The stars are highly interconnected. The forces of mutual attraction affect the processes occurring on the surfaces, as well as the formation of planets. Centauri B rotates relative to Centauri A. The orbit looks like a highly elongated ellipse. The turnover takes 80 years, which is very fast on a cosmic scale.

The third component of the system is the star Proxima Centauri. The name of the star means "nearest". It got its name because, thanks to its orbit, it approaches the Earth as close as possible. An object of the eleventh magnitude. Proxima revolves around two stars in 500 thousand years. According to some sources, the rotation period reaches a million years. Its temperature is very low in order to heat nearby objects, so the planets near it are not searched for. Proxima is a red dwarf that sometimes produces very powerful flares.

It takes 1.1 million years to get to Alpha Centauri by modern spacecraft, so it won't happen in the near future.

2

• Alternative name:α Carina
• Apparent magnitude: −0,72
• Distance to the Sun: 310 St. years

The star Canopus or Alpha Carina is the brightest star in the constellation Carina. With an apparent magnitude of -0.72, Canopus is the second brightest star in the sky. Its absolute magnitude is -5.53, and it is 310 light years away from us.

Canopus has a spectral class of A9II, a surface temperature of 7350° Kelvin, and a luminosity 13,600 times that of the Sun. The star Canopus has a mass of 8.5 solar masses and a diameter 65 times that of the Sun.

The diameter of the star Canopus is 0.6 AU, or 65 times that of the Sun. If Canopus were located at the center of the solar system, then its outer edges would extend three-quarters of the way to Mercury. The Earth had to be removed to a distance of three times the orbit of Pluto in order for Canopus to look in the sky just like our Sun.

Canopus is a supergiant of spectral class F and is white when viewed with the naked eye. With a luminosity 13,600 times that of the Sun, Canopus is, in fact, the brightest star, up to 700 light-years from the solar system. If Canopus were located at a distance of 1 astronomical unit (the distance from the Earth to the Sun), then it would have an apparent magnitude of -37.

1

• Alternative name:α Canis Major
• Apparent magnitude: −1,46
• Distance to the Sun: 8.6 St. years

The brightest star in the night sky is undoubtedly Sirius. It shines in the constellation Canis Major and is highly visible in the Northern Hemisphere during the winter months. Although its luminosity exceeds the luminosity of the Sun by 22 times, it is by no means a record in the world of stars - the high visible brightness of Sirius is due to its relative proximity. 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 has a spectral type of A1Vm, a surface temperature of 9940° Kelvin, and a luminosity 25 times that of the Sun. The mass of Sirius is 2.02 solar masses, the diameter is 1.7 times greater than that of the Sun.

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, its periodic fluctuations could be detected 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.

The Sirius system is about 200-300 million years old. Initially, the system consisted of two bright bluish stars. The more massive Sirius B, consuming its resources, became a red giant, after which it ejected its outer layers and became a white dwarf about 120 million years ago. Sirius is colloquially known as the "Dog Star", reflecting his belonging to the constellation Canis Major. The sunrise of Sirius marked the flood of the Nile in ancient Egypt. The name Sirius comes from the ancient Greek "luminous" or "hot".

Sirius is brighter than the nearest star to the Sun - Alpha Centauri, or even supergiants such as Canopus, Rigel, Betelgeuse. Knowing the exact coordinates of Sirius in the sky, it can be seen with the naked eye and during the day. For best viewing, the sky must be very clear and the Sun low on the horizon. Currently, Sirius is approaching the solar system at a speed of 7.6 km / s, so over time, the apparent brightness of the star will slowly increase.

For an unambiguous answer to the question of which is the brightest star in the sky, it is worth relying on various methods for measuring the brightness of these celestial bodies. Since there are several ways to measure and from different points of view it is almost impossible to make an unambiguous rating of the brightest stars, we will use the fact that we will determine how bright a celestial body looks from our planet. Although the most accurate value that studies the brightness of a star is absolute (means what an object looks like from a distance of 10 parsecs). 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. Let's see, after all, which is the brightest star in the night sky beckons with its magical radiance.

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.

3. CANOPUS

5 VY GREAT DOG

Imagining the starry sky, surely everyone has in mind the thought of thousands of stars of the same type shining on the boundless dark canvas of our planet. Not at all, in industrial cities, due to pollution, it is difficult to see that the flickering luminaries seriously differ not only in size, distance from the Earth, but also in power. If you want to see this difference, we advise you to watch an amazing spectacle in nature, in an open area far from the city. We will tell you where you need to look to see them, and finally answer the question - " What is the brightest star in the sky?".

10 brightest stars in the sky

10

Each star has its own history, life cycle and stages of formation. They differ in color and strength. For example, some of them are capable of igniting a nuclear fusion reaction. Amazing, isn't it? And one of the most powerful, unusual and bright is the star Achernar, located 139 light years from our world. We are talking about a blue star, the brightness of which exceeds the sun by 3000 times. It features fast rotation and high temperature. Due to the speed of movement, its equatorial radius is approximately 56% larger than the polar one.

Even brighter and more powerful shines a red star called Betelgeuse. It is the hottest in its class. Experts suggest that this will not last long, because sooner or later hydrogen will run out and Betelgeuse will switch to helium. It is worth noting that the temperature is not too high, only 3500K, but it shines about 100,000 times brighter than the Sun. It is located about 600 light years from Earth. Over the next million years, the star should go supernova, and it is likely to become the brightest. Perhaps our descendants will be able to see it even during the day.

Next among the brightest stars is an F-class celestial body called Procyon. A fairly modest star in its parameters, which today is on the verge of depleting hydrogen reserves. In terms of its dimensions, it is only 40% larger than the Sun, however, in terms of evolution, the subgiant shines 7 times more saturated and brighter. Why did Procyon get such a high place in the ranking, because there are more powerful luminaries? The fact is that it is brighter than the Sun, taking into account 11.5 light years from us. This must be taken into account, if it were closer, we would have to pay more attention to the creation of lenses in sunglasses.

One of the brightest stars on the planet, the power of which can only be fully appreciated from Orion. An even more distant star, located 860 years from the planet. In this case, the core temperature is 12,000 degrees. It must be said that Rigel is not one of the main sequence stars. However, the blue giant is 120,000 times brighter than the sun. To give you an idea, if the star were at a distance from our planet, like Mercury, we would not be able to see anything. However, even in the territory of Orion, it blinds.

Speaking of unusual stars, Capella is the undisputed leader. Why is the heavenly body so unique? The fact is that this star represents two surfaces at once, the temperature of each of which is greater than the sun. At the same time, supergiants are 78 times brighter. They are 42 light years away. A combination of two stars is easy enough to spot on a clear day, or rather night. However, only knowledgeable people will be able to understand what this miracle looks like in heaven. Probably, you have already understood what names determine many terms in Russian, and not only.

For many people, Vega is associated with an Internet provider, and for moviegoers, the house of aliens (the film "Contact"). In fact, Vega is a bright star located 25 light years from Earth. Its age is 500 million years. Today, astronomers use it as a null star, that is, zero magnitude. Among all the luminaries of class A, it is considered the most powerful. At the same time, it is about 40 times brighter than the sun. In our sky, it is the fifth brightest, and in the northern part of the hemisphere it is inferior in this parameter to only one unique star, which will be discussed later.

The only orange star in this ranking, on the scale of evolution, located between Capella and Procyon. The brightest star in the northern hemisphere of the planet. If you want to have an idea of ​​its placement, focus on the handle of the Big Dipper bucket. It is always within a given constellation. Brighter than the sun about 170 times. As part of its further development, it should become much stronger. It is located approximately 37 light years away.

We are talking about a triple system, each member of which is similar in its parameters to the sun. It's funny, but all the participants in the Alpha Centauri system are much dimmer, any of the stars presented in the ranking of the brightest. However, the system is close enough to Earth that its illumination is noticeable even in a city. The distance is 4.4 light years. Well, it's time to talk about the most unique celestial bodies of this top. Surely, many are now aware of the choice of astrologers who spend years on end spending their time studying truly intangible objects.