The five most famous stars
Our nighttime starry sky offers an infinite variety of stars with different brightness levels. Everyone can surely identify some prominent constellations, such as the Big Dipper or Orion – but do you also know the most well-known stars? In this article, we introduce you to the top 5 stars that everyone should be familiar with!
We caught glimpses of faces at most of the windows peering curiously at us and watching our progress through the town. Many of the members of the groups, by the wayside saluted as we passed by—the Icelanders are a polite people, as a rule, and they doff their head-gear in salutation to strangers. So we progressed, being saluted, and acknowledging the salutes. It was a sort of triumphal entry, for the news had been carried forward by one of the guides, who was some little distance ahead with some of the pack-ponies, that we had just crossed the country by way of the uninhabited interior. All things come to an end, and so did our journey when we reached the end of the main street in Reykjavik, for there, at a great wooden building four stories high, we took up our quarters, and the crossing of Iceland was an accomplished fact.
SiriusThe brightest star
Sirius, also known as the Dog Star, shines the brightest. Sirius has a radius 2100 times that of our Sun and is 200,000 times larger than Earth. The light from the largest known star in our universe takes 5000 years to reach our eyes. In the sky, Sirius can be found southeast of the prominent Orion, whose three belt stars point directly to it. It is part of the constellation Canis Major, which, when viewed from Central Europe, is positioned low over the southern horizon. At the same time, Sirius forms the southernmost point of the Winter Hexagon.
Pole Star Guide of the Sky
Less bright but the most important celestial guide in the sky is the Pole Star. It always remains in the same position in the sky and marks the celestial North Pole, around which all other stars appear to revolve due to the Earth's rotation. Additionally, its height above the horizon roughly corresponds to the observer's northern latitude. In the past, it often served as a navigation aid for ships to check their position, course, or compass. The Pole Star is best located using the Big Dipper by extending an imaginary line from the back stars of the "dipper" upwards about five times.
CanopusThe second brightest star
Canopus, the second-brightest star in the night sky, also serves navigation due to its position near the South Pole of the ecliptic and its high brightness. Unfortunately, it is only visible from Southern Europe.
Vega
Vega is known from movies and literature. The primary star of the Lyra constellation is also part of the larger Summer Triangle. In photometry, it used to serve as a reference star for brightness measurements, as its apparent brightness corresponds precisely to magnitude 0.0.
BetelgeuzeAbove the Clouds
The 'foot star' Rigel and the 'shoulder star' Betelgeuse are the brightest stars in Orion. Both play a significant role in ancient Egyptian mythology. Betelgeuse stands out with its reddish color and was often associated with war. These two stars are also common settings in the science fiction universe. For example, Betelgeuse is featured in 'Planet of the Apes,' while Rigel is portrayed as the most densely populated star system in space in 'Star Trek.
Article from Sternenregister
Images from nasa.gov , pexels und unsplash