It's nice to look at the sky not only finishedromantics and meticulous scientists. Every person from time to time loves to watch one of the most beautiful phenomena of our universe - bright stars. And therefore, it will be interesting to everyone to find out which luminaries are distinguished by the greatest radiance.
Sirius
Without a doubt, the brightest star onthe night sky is Sirius. It takes first place in its radiance. It is located in the constellation Bolshoy Dog and is well observed in the Northern Hemisphere in winter. Residents of the southern hemisphere can see it in the summer months, north of the Arctic Circle. Sirius is located approximately 8.6 light-years from the Sun and is one of the brightest stars closest to us.
The brilliance of Sirius and 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 magnitude is 1.46m.
Sirius is the brightest northern star.As early as the 19th century, astronomers noticed that its trajectory, although direct, was still subject to periodic oscillations. Astronomers began to guess that a certain hidden star, revolving around Sirius with a period of about 50 years, was responsible for these deviations of the trajectory.m, belonging to the category of white dwarfs.
Canopus
For the first time about what is the brightest star in the sky,The ancient Greek scientist Hipparchus began to think. Its classification was proposed 22 centuries ago. Hipparch was the first to divide the luminaries according to their luster by 6 magnitudes. The two brightest - Sirius and Canopus - minus the first magnitude. Canopus ranks second in brightness after Sirius, but much less is known. Apparently, for the reason that it is best to observe from the southern hemisphere. From the northern territories, Canopus is observed only in subtropical latitudes.
For example, in Europe it is visible only from the south.Greece, and in the countries of the former USSR only residents of Turkmenistan can admire it. Most in this regard, the lucky astronomers of Australia and New Zealand. Here Canopus can be observed throughout the year.
According to scientists, the luminosity of Canopus is 15,000 times higher than the sun's, 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 the Earth - about 310 light years, or 2.96 quadrillion kilometers.
Vega
Looking at the warm summer evenings at the sky, you can see a bright bluish-white point. This is Vega - one of the brightest stars in the sky, visible only in the Northern Hemisphere.
Вега является не только основной в созвездии Лиры.She - the main body throughout the summer months. It is very convenient to observe it from the Northern Hemisphere due to its location. Since the end of spring and up to mid-autumn, it is the most visible light.
As with many other stars, with VegaMany ancient legends are connected. For example, in the Far East there is a legend that Vega is a princess who has fallen in love with an ordinary person (who is represented in the sky by the star Altair). The girl's father, having learned about it, became angry, forbidding her to see an ordinary mortal. And in fact, Vega is separated from Altair by the foggy Milky Way. Only once a year, according to legend, about forty thousand form their wings with a heavenly bridge, and lovers have the opportunity to reunite. Later, the princess's tears spill on the ground - this is how the legend explains the meteor shower from the Perseid stream.
Vega is 2 times heavier than the Sun.The luminosity of the star is 37 times greater than the solar. Vega has such a huge mass that it will have another 1 billion years in its present state of the white star.
Arcturus
Является одной из самых ярких звезд, которую can be observed from almost anywhere in the world. In intensity, it is second only to Sirius, Canopus, and also to the double star Alpha Centauri. The star is 110 times brighter than the sun. Located in the constellation Bootes.
Unusual legend
Arcturus owes its name to the constellation BigBears. Translated from the ancient Greek word "arcturus" means "guard of the bear". According to the myth, Zeus put him in his place so that he would protect the nymph Callisto, who was turned into a bear by the goddess Hero. In Arabic, Arcturus is called otherwise - “Haris as-sama”, which means “keeper of the heavens”.
In the northern latitudes, the star can be observed all year round.
Alpha Centauri
Еще одна из самых ярких звезд, с давних времен known to astronomers - Alpha Centauri. It is part of the constellation Centaurus. However, in reality, this is not one star - it consists of three components: the stars Centaurus A (also known as Toliman), Centaurus B and the red dwarf Proxima Centauri.
In its age, Alpha Centauri is older than ours.The solar system is 2 billion years old - this group of luminaries is about 6 billion years old, while the Sun is only 4.5. The characteristics of these luminaries are as close as possible.
If you look at Alpha Centauri without a specialof equipment, it is impossible to distinguish the luminaries A from B - it is thanks to this alliance that the impressive shining of the star is achieved. However, it is necessary to arm yourself with an ordinary telescope, as the 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 the summer of light can be seen in Florida, Texas, Mexico.
Betelgeuse
This light 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 todayis one of the largest and brightest stars. If Betelgeuse were in the central part of the solar system, then its surface would have swallowed up 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 assume that in the next few million years it will explode and turn into a supernova.
Procyon
The procyon star is one of the brightest stars.Is the alpha of the Small Dog. In reality, Procyon consists of two luminaries - the second is called the Gomeiza. Both can be observed without additional optics. The origin of the name “Procyon” is also very interesting. It was based on a long observation of the starry sky. This word is literally translated as “earlier Dog”, and a more literary translation sounds like “a forerunner of a dog.” Arab nationalities called Procyon "Sirius shedding tears." All of these names have a direct connection with Sirius, who was worshiped by many ancient peoples. It is not surprising that, over time, astrologers and priests discovered a harbinger of Sirius - Procyon appearing on the horizon. He appears in the sky 40 minutes earlier, as if running ahead. If you depict the constellation of the Little Dog 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 be called small only by cosmic standards. It is separated from us 11.41 light years. It moves towards the solar system at a tremendous speed - 4500 m per second. Procyon shines like 8 our Suns, and its radius is no less than 1.9 times the radius of our star.
Astronomers categorize it.subgiant stars. According to the brightness of the glow, the scientists concluded that the nuclear reaction between hydrogen and helium in its interior no longer occurs. Scientists are convinced that the process of star expansion has already begun. After a very long time, Procyon will turn into a red giant.
Polaris - the brightest star of the Bear
Это светило очень необычно.First of all, it is worth paying attention to the fact that it is closer than the others to the north pole of the planet. And due to the daily rotation of the Earth, the stars move around the North Star. For this reason, it is often called the North. As for the South Pole, there are no such luminaries around it. In ancient times, the axis of the planet was directed to another sphere of the sky, and the place of the North Star was occupied by Vega.
Those who wonder what is the brightest star onThe 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 stars of the Ursa Major dipper. Polaris is the very last star in the handle of the neighbor's bucket of this constellation, Ursa Minor. This star is also the brightest star of this cluster.
Интерес для астрономов также представляет и Big Dipper. It is easy to see because of the shape of the bucket, well distinguished in the sky. The brightest star in the constellation is Aliot. In reference books, it is denoted by the letter epsilon, and it occupies the 31st place in terms of brightness among all visible luminaries.
Nowadays, as in the times of the ancientsastronomers, the common man can observe stars from the surface of the earth. However, it is possible that our great-grandchildren will be able to go to the brightest luminaries and learn about them much more interesting and entertaining information.
