The starry sky has always attracted people. Even being at a low level of development, dressing in animal skins and using stone tools, a person already raised his head and examined the mysterious points that shimmered mysteriously in the depths of the vast sky.

The stars have become one of the foundations of human mythology. According to ancient people, it was there that the gods lived. The stars have always been something sacred for a person, unattainable for an ordinary mortal. One of the most ancient sciences of mankind was astrology, which studied the influence of heavenly bodies on human life.

Today, the stars remain the focus of our attention, but it is true that astronomers study them more, and science fiction writers invent stories about the time when a person will be able to reach the stars. An ordinary person often raises his head to admire the beautiful stars in the night sky, just like his distant ancestors did millions of years ago. We have compiled a list for you that includes the brightest stars in the sky.

In tenth place on our list is Betelgeuse, astronomers call it α Orionis. This star is a great mystery to astronomers: they are still arguing about its origin and cannot understand its periodic variability.

This star belongs to the class of red giants and its size is 500-800 times the size of our Sun. If we were to move it into our system, then its boundaries would extend to the orbit of Jupiter. Over the past 15 years, the size of this star has decreased by 15%. Scientists still do not understand the reason for this phenomenon.

Betelgeuse is located at a distance of 570 light-years from the Sun, so a trip to it will definitely not take place in the near future.

The first star in this constellation, it ranks ninth on our list. the brightest stars in the night sky. Achernar is located at the very end of the constellation Eridani. This star is classified as a class of blue stars, it is eight times heavier than our Sun and exceeds it in brightness by a thousand times.

Achernar is 144 light-years from our solar system, and travel to it in the near future also looks unlikely. One more interesting feature This star is that it rotates around its axis with great speed.

This star is the eighth by its brightness in our firmament. The name of this star is translated from Greek as "before the dog." Procyon enters the winter triangle, along with the stars Sirius and Betelgeuse.

This star is a binary star. In the sky, we can see the larger star of the pair, the second star is a small white dwarf.

There is a legend associated with this star. The constellation Canis Minor symbolizes the dog of the first winemaker, Ikaria, who was killed by treacherous shepherds, after having drunk his own wine beforehand. The faithful dog found the owner's grave.

This star is seventh brightest in our sky. The main reason for the rather low place in our ranking is the very large distance between the Earth and this star. If Rigel were a little closer (at the distance of Sirius, for example), then in its brightness it would surpass many other luminaries.

Rigel belongs to the class of blue-white supergiants. The size of this star is impressive: it is 74 times larger than our Sun. In fact, Rigel is not one star, but three: in addition to the giant, this stellar company includes two more small stars.

Rigel is located at a distance of 870 light years from the Sun, which is a lot.

Translated from Arabic, the name of this star means "leg". People have known this star for a very long time, it was included in the mythology of many peoples, starting with the ancient Egyptians. They considered Rigel to be the incarnation of Osiris, one of the most powerful gods in their pantheon.

One of the most beautiful stars in our sky. This is a double star, which in ancient times was an independent constellation and symbolized a goat with kids. Capella is a double star that consists of two yellow giants that revolve around a common center. Each of these stars is 2.5 times heavier than our Sun and they are located at a distance of 42 light years from our planetary system. These stars are much brighter than our sun.

An ancient Greek legend is associated with the Chapel, according to which Zeus was fed by the goat Amalthea. One day, Zeus carelessly broke off one of the animal's horns, and so a cornucopia appeared in the world.

One of the brightest and beautiful stars in our sky. It is located at a distance of 25 light years from our Sun (which is a fairly small distance). Vega belongs to the constellation Lyra, the size of this star is almost three times the size of our Sun.

This star rotates around its axis at breakneck speed.

Vega can be called one of the most studied stars. It is located at a short distance and is very convenient for research.

Many myths are associated with this star. different peoples our planet. In our latitudes, Vega is one of the brightest stars in the sky and second only to Sirius and Arcturus.

One of the brightest and most beautiful stars in the sky which can be observed anywhere in the world. The reasons for this brightness is the large size of the star and the small distance from it to our planet.

Arcturus belongs to the class of red giants and has a huge size. The distance from our solar system to this star is "only" 36.7 light years. It is more than 25 times larger than our star. At the same time, the brightness of Arcturus is 110 times higher than the Sun.

This star owes its name to the constellation Ursa Major. Translated from Greek, its name means "guardian of the bear." Arcturus is very easy in the starry sky, you just need to draw an imaginary arc through the handle of the Big Dipper bucket.

In second place on our list is a triple star, which belongs to the constellation Centaurus. This star system consists of three stars: two of them are close in size to our Sun and the third star, which is a red dwarf called Proxima Centauri.

Astronomers call the double star that we can see with the naked eye Toliban. These stars are very close to our planetary system, and therefore seem very bright to us. In fact, their brightness and size are quite modest. The distance from the Sun to these stars is only 4.36 light years. By astronomical standards, it's almost there. Proxima Centauri was discovered only in 1915, it behaves rather strangely, its brightness changes periodically.

it the second brightest star in our sky. But, unfortunately, we will not be able to see it, because Canopus is visible only in southern hemisphere our planet. In the northern part, it is visible only in tropical latitudes.

This is the most bright Star the southern hemisphere, in addition, it performs the same role in navigation as the North Star in the northern hemisphere.

Canopus is a huge star, which is eight times larger than our luminary. This star belongs to the class of supergiants, and it is in second place in terms of brightness only because the distance to it is very large. The distance from the Sun to Canopus is about 319 light years. Canopus is the brightest star within a radius of 700 light years.

There is no consensus on the origin of the name of the star. Most likely, it got its name in honor of the helmsman who was on the ship of Menelaus (this is a character in the Greek epic about the Trojan War).

The brightest star in our sky, which belongs to the constellation Canis Major. This star can be called the most important for earthlings, of course, after our Sun. Since ancient times, people have been very reverent and respectful of this luminary. There are numerous myths and legends about him. The ancient Egyptians placed their gods on Sirius. This star can be observed from anywhere on the earth's surface.

The ancient Sumerians watched Sirius and believed that it was on it that the gods who created life on our planet are located. The Egyptians watched this star very carefully, it was associated with their religious cults of Osiris and Isis. In addition, according to Sirius, they determined the time of the Nile flood, which was important for agriculture.

If we talk about Sirius from the point of view of astronomy, then it should be noted that this is a double star, which consists of a star of spectral class A1 and a white dwarf (Sirius B). You cannot see the second star with the naked eye. Both stars revolve around a single center with a period of 50 years. Sirius A is about twice the size of our Sun.

Sirius is 8.6 light years away from us.

The ancient Greeks believed that Sirius was the dog of the star hunter Orion, who pursued his prey. There is an African Dogon tribe that worships Sirius. But that's not surprising. Africans, who did not know writing, had information about the existence of Sirius B, which was discovered only in the middle of the 19th century with the help of fairly advanced telescopes. The Dogon calendar is based on the periods of rotation of Sirius B around Sirius A. And it is compiled quite accurately. How a primitive African tribe got all this information is a mystery.

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.

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. Distance from star to solar system- about 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. Literal translation from Greek " before 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, at different times of the year it rises differently and best time for his observations - 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 pole of the world 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 type 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 burning processes have already begun in the interior of the star. The second and brighter component, Capella Ab, 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 revolving around 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: Maximum temperature- at the pole of the star, the minimum - 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 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 type F and, when viewed with the naked eye, has White color. 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 the 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.

Not everyone knows the names of stars and constellations, but many have heard the most popular of them.

Constellations are expressive star groups, and there is a special magic in the names of stars and constellations.

The information that tens of thousands of years ago, even before the emergence of the first civilizations, people began to give them names - no one doubts. The cosmos is filled with heroes and monsters from legends, and the sky of our northern latitudes is mainly inhabited by the characters of the Greek epic.

Photos of constellations in the sky and their names

48 ancient constellations are the decoration of the celestial sphere. Each has a legend associated with it. And no wonder - the stars played a big role in people's lives. Navigation, large-scale agriculture would be impossible without a good knowledge of the celestial bodies.

Of all the constellations, non-setting ones are distinguished, located at 40 degrees of latitude or higher. They are always visible to the inhabitants of the northern hemisphere, 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 significant that the objects of the constellations are not necessarily located nearby. To an earthly observer, the surface of the sky looks flat, but in fact some stars are much farther 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" - so it will 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 closest large cosmic bodies to the sun, its light flies to us for only 8.6 years.

The Sumerians and the ancient Egyptians had the status of a deity. 3,000 years ago, the Egyptian priests, by the ascent of Sirius, accurately determined the time of the flood of the Nile.

Sirius is a double star. The visible component (Sirius A) is about 2 times more massive than the Sun and shines 25 times stronger. Sirius B is a white dwarf with a mass almost like that of the sun, with a brightness of a quarter of the sun.

Sirius B is possibly the most massive white dwarf known to astronomers. Ordinary dwarfs of this class are twice as light.

Arcturus in Bootes is the brightest in the 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 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 the galaxy that our Milky Way swallowed up a very, very 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.

Names of stars by color

The color of a star depends on the temperature, and the temperature depends on the mass and age. The hottest are young massive blue giants, their surface temperature reaches 60,000 Kelvin, and their mass is up to 60 solar masses. The class B stars are not much inferior, the brightest representative of which is Spica, the alpha constellation Virgo.

The coldest are small, old red dwarfs. On average, the surface temperature is 2-3 thousand Kelvin, and the mass is one third of the sun. The diagram clearly shows how the color depends on the size.

By 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 the 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 in the handle of the bucket of Ursa Minor, a guiding sign for all sailors of antiquity. Polar almost does not move and always points to the north. Every people in the northern hemisphere has a name for her. "Iron stake" of the ancient Finns, "Tethered horse" of the Khakasses, "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. AT ancient rome bore the name Holiday, and our "vacation" comes straight from this word. The fact is that Sirius appeared in Rome at dawn, in the summer, during the days of the greatest heat, when the life of the city died down.

Aldebaran. In its movement it always follows the Pleiades cluster. In Arabic it means "follower". The Greeks and Romans called Aldebaran "The Eye of the Bull".

The Pioneer 10 probe, launched in 1972, is moving just in the direction of Aldebaran. The estimated time of arrival is 2 million years.

Vega. Arab astronomers called it the “Falling Eagle” (An nahr Al Wagi). In ancient Rome, the day when she crossed the horizon before sunrise was considered the last day of summer.

Vega was the first (after the Sun) photographed star. It happened almost 200 years ago in 1850, at the Oxford Observatory.

Betelgeuse. The Arabic designation is Yad Al Juza (twin's hand). In the Middle Ages, due to confusion in translation, the word was read as "Bel Juza", and "Betelgeuse" arose.

Fantasies love stars. One of the characters in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy hails from a small planet in the Betelgeuse system.

Fomalhaut. Alpha Southern Pisces. In Arabic - "Fish Mouth". 18th brightest night luminary. Archaeologists have discovered evidence of the veneration of Fomalhaut as early as 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 in the sky

As it was established, people united stars into groups as early as 15,000 years ago. In the first written sources, that is, 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, in the 15th century, new constellations begin to appear. 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, it is impossible to see all 28 constellations in one night, the celestial mechanics is 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 it, it is easy to find other astronomical objects.

tail tip Ursa Minor- the famous Pole Star. Celestial bears have long tails, unlike earthly relatives.

The Dragon- a large constellation between Ursa. It is impossible not to mention the μ Dragon which is called Arrakis, which means “dancer” in ancient Arabic. Kuma (ν Dragon) - double, which is 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 took place in Cassiopeia.

The ancient Greeks did not agree on whose Lyra. Different legends give it to different heroes - Apollo, Orpheus or Orion. The notorious Vega enters Lyra.

Orion- the most noticeable astronomical formation of our sky. The large stars of Orion's belt are called the three kings or magi. The famous Betelgeuse is located here.

Cepheus can be observed all year round. In 8,000 years, one of its stars, Alderamin, will become the new polar star.

AT Andromeda lies the nebula M31. This is a neighboring galaxy, visible to the naked eye on a clear night. The Andromeda Nebula is 2 million light years away from us.

Beautifully named constellation Veronica's hair owes the Egyptian queens, who sacrificed their hair to the gods. In the direction of the Coma Veronica is the north pole of our galaxy.

Alpha Bootes famous Arcturus. Behind Bootes, at the very edge of the observable universe, is the galaxy Egsy8p7. This is one of the most distant objects known to astronomers - it is 13.2 billion light years away.

Constellations for kids - all the fun

Curious young astronomers will be interested to learn about the constellations and see them in the sky. Parents can arrange a night tour for their children, talking about the amazing science of astronomy and seeing some of the constellations with their own eyes with the children. These short and understandable stories will surely appeal to little explorers.

Ursa Major and Ursa Minor

AT ancient greece the gods turned into animals all in a row, and threw anyone into the sky. That's what they were. Once the wife of Zeus turned a nymph named Callisto into a bear. And the nymph had a little son who did not know anything about the fact that his mother became a bear.

When the son grew up, he became a hunter and went to the forest with a bow and arrows. And it so happened that he met a mother bear. When the hunter raised his bow and fired, Zeus stopped time and threw everyone together - the she-bear, the hunter and the arrow into the sky.

Since then, the Big Dipper has been walking in the sky along with the little one, into which the son-hunter has turned. And the arrow also remained in heaven, only it will never hit anywhere - such is the order in heaven.

The Big Dipper is always easy to find in the sky, it looks like a big bucket with a handle. And if you found the Big Dipper, then the Little Dipper is walking nearby. And although Ursa Minor is not so noticeable, there is a way to find it: the two extreme stars in the bucket will indicate the exact direction to the polar star - this is the tail of Ursa Minor.

polar Star

All the stars are slowly spinning, only the Polar one stands still. She always points to the north, for which she is called a guiding one.

In ancient times, people sailed on ships with large sails, but without a compass. And when the ship is on the high seas and the coast is not visible, you can easily get lost.

When this happened, the experienced captain waited for the night to see the North Star and find a northerly direction. And knowing the direction to the north, you can easily determine where the rest of the world is, and where to sail in order to bring the ship to its native port.

The Dragon

Among the night lights 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 Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.

The dragon is a large constellation: 4 stars form its head, 14 form its tail. Its stars are not very bright. It 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, became the favorite of Artemis, the goddess of hunting. Orion liked to brag about 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 great hero ancient Greece is still alive today.

Orion is the most remarkable constellation in the northern sky. It is large and consists of bright stars. In winter, Orion is fully 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 rest of the constellations and find the stars.

Sirius

Knowing the position of Orion, one 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. Included in the constellation Canis Major, a faithful satellite of Orion.

There are actually two stars in Sirius circling each other. One star is hot and bright, we can 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 days, Sirius would shine for us 20 times stronger!

Q&A rubric

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 and.

What is the largest constellation?

— Hydras. It is so long that it does not fit entirely in the northern sky and goes beyond the southern horizon. The length of the Hydra is almost a quarter of the circumference of the horizon.

What is the smallest constellation?

- The smallest, but at the same time the brightest - the Southern Cross. It is located in the southern hemisphere.

What constellation does the Sun belong to?

The Earth revolves around the Sun, and we see how in a year it passes through as many as 12 constellations, one for each month. They are called the Belt of the Zodiac.

Conclusion

The stars have long fascinated people. And although the development of astronomy allows us to look further and further into the depths of space, the charm of the ancient names of the stars does not go anywhere.

When we look up 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 likes 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 her brilliance. It is located in the constellation Canis Major and is well observed in the Northern Hemisphere in winter. Residents of the Southern Hemisphere can see it during 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 by amateur astronomers. Sirius is equal to 1.46 m.

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

Canopus

For the first time, the ancient Greek scientist Hipparchus began to think about what is the brightest star in the sky. Its classification was proposed 22 centuries ago. Hipparchus was the first to divide the luminaries according to their brightness into 6 magnitudes. The two brightest - Sirius and Canopus - minus the 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 noticeable only from the south of Greece, and in the countries of the former USSR, only residents of Turkmenistan can admire it. The astronomers of Australia and New Zealand were the most fortunate in this respect. 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 star 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 to mid-autumn, she is the most prominent luminary.

As with many other stars, many ancient legends are associated with Vega. For example, on Far East there is a legend that Vega is a princess who fell in love with a simple person (who is represented in the sky by the star Altair). The girl's father, having learned about this, was angry, forbidding her to see an ordinary mortal. And in fact, Vega is separated from Altair by the hazy Milky Way. Only once a year, according to legend, forty thousand form a heavenly bridge with their wings, and lovers have the opportunity to reunite. Later, the tears of the princess are shed on 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 that of 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 also to the double luminary Alpha Centauri. A star is 110 times brighter than the Sun. located in

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 settled him in place so that he would guard the nymph Callisto, who was turned into a bear by the goddess Hera. In Arabic, Arcturus is called differently - "Haris-as-sama", which means "guardian of heaven."

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

Alpha Centauri

Another 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 stars of 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 of stars is about 6 billion years old, while the Sun is only 4.5 billion years old. The characteristics of these luminaries are as close as possible.

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

Betelgeuse

This luminary belongs to the category of red supergiants. The mass of Betelgeuse, or Alpha Orion, is about 13-17 solar masses, and its radius is 1200 times greater than the solar one.

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, then its surface would absorb several planets - Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. It is assumed that the age of Betelgeuse is only about 10 million years. Now the star is at a late stage of its evolution, and scientists suggest 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. It is the alpha of Canis Minor. In fact, 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 a long-term observation of 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 the harbinger of Sirius appearing in the sky - Procyon. It appears in the sky 40 minutes earlier, as if running ahead. If you depict the constellation Canis Minor in the figure, it turns out that Procyon is in his 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 - 4500 m per second. Procyon shines like 8 of our Suns, and its radius is no less than 1.9 of the radius of our star.

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

Polaris - the brightest star of Ursa

This light is very unusual. First of all, the fact that it is closer than others to the north pole of the planet is worth attention. And due to the daily rotation of the Earth, the stars move, as it were, around the Polar Star. For this reason, it is often called Northern. As for the South Pole, there are no such 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.

Ursa Major is also of interest to astronomers. It is easy to see due 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.

Now, as in the days of the ancient astronomers, a common person can observe 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.

For an unambiguous answer to the question, which is the brightest star in the sky, you should rely on various ways measurements of 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 note the Sun, which perfect way 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. This bright star consists of Sirius A (bright and large) and Sirius B (white dwarf), which indicates that the star is a system.

3. CANOPUS

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, this star 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 such a star will turn into after its death, and they model various options.

5 VY GREAT DOG

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.