Stars
Star Facts: Altair
Altair (Alpha Aquilae) is the brightest star in the constellation Aquila, and the 12th most luminous in the entire night sky. Although the star has been in the human consciousness since ancient Babylonian and Sumerian …
Stars
Stars
Star Facts: Aldebaran
Aldebaran (Alpha Tauri) is the brightest star in the constellation Taurus, and the 14th most luminous star in the entire night sky. Although it is relatively close to Earth, the Pioneer 10 space probe currently …
FAQs
How Many Naked Eye Stars Can Be Seen in the Night Sky?
The night sky is filled with stars of different colors that astronomers rank in order of their luminosity, the brightest of which is Sirius in Canis Major, a blue-white star 8.611 light years distant with …
Astronomy History
Who Discovered the Sun is a Star?
In ancient Greece, early scientists such as Thales of Miletus (624-546 BC) first started to suspect that the Sun was not the deity Helios (Apollo) driving his chariot around the Earth, but was instead merely …
Astronomy Lists
10 Interesting Facts about Star Magnitudes
Stellar magnitude is a measurement used to describe the brightness of stars and other astronomical objects in space. Read on to find out all you need to know about the star magnitude scale. 1: Naked …
FAQs
What are Star Magnitudes?
In astronomy, the magnitude of a star refers to its measure of brightness, and while absolute magnitude relates to the star’s intrinsic brightness, apparent magnitude, on the other hand, is a way of measuring how …
News
IAU Officially Approves 227 Star Names
In May 2016, the IAU Executive Committee approved the setting up of a body called the Working Group on Star Names (WSGN), with the group given the job of formalizing the colloquial names of stars …
News
Earth-sized Planet Found Orbiting Proxima Centauri
For generations, mankind has dreamed of exploring new worlds and finding life elsewhere. While the Apollo 11 mission was monumental for being the first time that a human being had set foot on another planetary …
Stars
Star Facts: Spica
Spica (Alpha Virginis) is a blue-white giant star located around 260 light-years away in the constellation of Virgo. This 1st magnitude star is the 15th brightest in the entire night sky, and derives its name …
Star Constellations
Star Constellations & Brightest Stars
The night sky’s twenty-two brightest 1st magnitude stars are shown above, while the following table provides information on the 88 recognized constellations, together with details on their location, size, and brightest star.