home Audience 5 The brightest stars in the southern hemisphere. The brightest star in the night sky

The brightest stars in the southern hemisphere. The brightest star in the night sky

People have always admired the starry sky. Back in the Stone Age, living in caves and dressing in skins, at night they raised their heads to the sky and admired the glowing lights.

Today the stars still attract our gaze. We know well that the brightest of them is the Sun. But what are the others called? Which stars, besides the Sun, are the brightest?

1. Sirius

Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. It is not much higher (only 22 times), but due to its proximity to Earth it is more noticeable than others. The star can be seen from almost every corner of the globe, except the northern regions.

In 1862, astronomers discovered that Sirius had a companion star. Both of them revolve around a single center of mass, but only one of them is visible from Earth - Sirius A. According to scientists, the star is gradually approaching the Sun. Its speed is 7.6 km/s, so it will become even brighter over time.

2. Canopus

Canopus is part of the constellation Carina and is the second brightest after Sirius. It belongs to the supergiants, exceeding the Sun in radius by 65 times.

Among all the stars located at a distance of 700 light years from Earth, Canopus has the greatest luminosity, but due to its remoteness it does not shine as brightly as Sirius. Once upon a time, before the invention of the compass, sailors used it as a guiding star.

3. Toliman

Toliman is also called Alpha Centauri. It is actually a binary system with stars A and B, but these stars are so close to each other that they cannot be distinguished with the naked eye. The third brightest in the sky is one of them - Alpha Centauri A.

There is another star in the same system - Proxima Centauri, but it is usually considered separately, and in terms of brightness it is not even included in the 25 stars with the highest luminosity.

4. Arcturus

Arcturus is an orange giant and shines brighter than other stars included in it. In different regions of the Earth it can be seen at different times of the year, but in Russia it is always visible.

According to the observations of astronomers, Arcturus is a variable star, that is, it changes its brightness. Every 8 days its brightness varies by 0.04 magnitude, which is explained by surface pulsation.

5. Vega

The fifth brightest star is part of the Lyra constellation and is the most studied after the Sun. Vega is located at a short distance from the solar system (only 25 light years) and is visible from anywhere on the planet, with the exception of Antarctica and the northern regions of North America.

Around Vega there is a disk of gas and dust, which, under the influence of its energy, emits infrared rays.

6. Chapel

From an astronomical point of view, the star is interesting for its binary system. Capella is two giant stars separated by 100 million kilometers. One of them, called Capella Aa, is old and is gradually beginning to fade.

The second - Capella Ab - still shines quite brightly, but, according to scientists, the processes of helium synthesis have already ended there. Sooner or later, the shells of both stars will expand and touch each other.

7. Rigel

The luminosity of Rigel is 130 thousand times greater than the Sun. It is one of the most powerful stars in the Milky Way, but due to its distance from the solar system (773 light years), it is only seventh in brightness.

Like Arcturus, Rigel is considered a variable star and changes its brightness at intervals of 22 to 25 days.

8. Procyon

Procyon's distance from Earth is only 11.4 light years. Its system includes two stars - Procyon A (bright) and Procyon B (dim). The first is a yellow subgiant and shines about 7.5 times brighter than the Sun. Due to its age, it will begin to expand over time and will shine much better.

It is believed that sooner or later it will increase to 150 times its current size, and then take on an orange or red color.

9. Achernar

In the list of the 10 brightest stars in the sky, Achernar ranks only ninth, but at the same time it is the hottest and the bluest. The star is located in the constellation Eridanus and shines 3000 times brighter than the Sun.

An interesting feature of Achernar is its very rapid rotation around its axis, as a result of which it has an elongated shape.

10. Betelgeuse

Betelgeuse's maximum luminosity is 105,000 times that of the Sun, but it is about 640 light-years from the solar system, so it is not as bright as the previous nine stars.

Because Betelgeuse's brightness gradually decreases from the center to the surface, scientists still cannot calculate its diameter.

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Currently, the brightest star that can be seen in the earth's sky (besides, of course, the Sun) is Sirius. Its apparent magnitude is -1.46. The fact that Sirius is the brightest star in our sky is largely due to its proximity - a star 8.6 light years away from us has a mass of two and a luminosity of twenty-two solar, while in our galaxy there are stars whose luminosity exceeds the solar millions of times. Another thing is that they are much, much further than Sirius.
As you know, the Sun revolves around the center of the Milky Way, making one revolution in about 225 million years. During this drift, some stars approach the solar system, some move away - so over thousands of years, the pattern of the starry sky gradually changes, and visible stars can become both brighter and dimmer.

So, during the Pliocene, the brightest star in the sky was Adara. Now this blue-white giant is located at a distance of 430 light years from us and has an apparent magnitude of +1.51. But 4.7 million years ago, Adara passed from the solar system at a distance of only 34 light years. Considering that the star's luminosity is 20,000 times greater than that of the Sun, at that time it sparkled in the night sky almost as brightly as Venus, having an apparent magnitude of -3.99.

After 300,000 years, Adara was replaced by another bright blue giant, Myrtsam. The star passed at a distance of 37 light years from the Solar System and at that time had an apparent magnitude of -3.65. Since then, Mirtsam has moved away from us to a distance of 500 light years and dimmed to a magnitude of +1.95. Over the next four million years, the brightest stars in the earth's sky were Zeta Hare, Askella, Aldebaran, Capella and three times Canopus. None of these stars could compare in brightness with Adara and Myrtsam - the brightest among them was Askella, which 1.2 million years ago had an apparent magnitude of -2.74.

Of course, Sirius will also not always be the brightest star in the earth's sky. In about 60 thousand years, it will approach the Solar System at a minimum distance of 7.8 light years, reaching a maximum apparent magnitude of -1.64, after which it will begin to gradually move away. In 150 thousand years, Vega will receive the title of the brightest star in our sky. Its maximum apparent magnitude will be -0.8.

In another 270 thousand years, Canopus will become the brightest star in the night sky. The funny thing is that by that time it will be at a distance of 350 light years from us and have an apparent magnitude of only -0.4, while now these figures are 310 light years and -0.72, respectively. But the fact is that by that time other large stars will move away from us to an even greater distance.

After Canopus, the brightest stars in Earth's sky will be Beta Aurigae and Delta Scuti. The latter will surpass Sirius in brightness for some time, reaching an apparent magnitude of -1.8. This will happen in about 1.25 million years.

10

Alternative title:α Orion
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 magnitude. The minimum luminosity of Betelgeuse is 80 thousand times greater than the luminosity of the Sun, and the maximum is 105 thousand times greater. 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 its minimum size it would fill the orbit of Mars, and at its 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 to be 570 light years, then its diameter will exceed the diameter of the Sun by approximately 950-1000 times. Betelgeuse's mass is approximately 13-17 solar masses.

9

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

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

Achernar is a bright blue double star with a total mass of about eight solar masses. It is a main sequence star of spectral class B6 Vep, with a luminosity 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 telescope showed that Achernar has a companion orbiting at a distance of approximately 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 class 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 title:α Canis Minor
Apparent magnitude: 0,38
Distance to the Sun: 11.46 St. years

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

The origin of the name Procyon is very interesting. It is based on long-term observation. The literal translation from Greek is “before the Dog,” a more literary translation is “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. It is not surprising that while observing the starry sky, they noticed the harbinger of the ascending Sirius - Procyon. He appears in the sky 40 minutes earlier, as if running ahead. If you imagine Canis Minor in a drawing, 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, 6.9 times more luminous than the Sun. The mass of the star is 1.4 times the mass of the Sun, and its 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 Orion's belt 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, Canis Minor is below them. And finding Procyon in the constellation Canis will not be 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 to observe it is winter.

7

Alternative title: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 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 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 if 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 at a distance of several millimeters. Any object located so close will evaporate under the influence of a strong stellar wind.

Rigel is a famous binary star that 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 a target for amateur astronomers. According to calculations, Rigel B is distant 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 system, consisting of two main sequence stars orbiting a common center of gravity every 9.8 days. Both stars belong to the spectral type B9V.

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

6

Alternative title:α Auriga
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 (Latin Capella - “Goat”), also Capra (Latin Capra - “goat”), Al Hayot (Arabic العيوق - “goat”) - a yellow giant. In the constellation drawing, Capella is located on the shoulder of Auriga. On maps of the sky, a goat was often drawn on this shoulder of Auriga. 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 as a result plays an important role in many mythological tales.

From an astronomical point of view, Capella is interesting because it is a spectroscopic double star. Two giant stars of spectral class G, with luminosities 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 red giant stage; helium burning processes have already begun in the bowels of the star. The second and brighter component, Capella Ab, also left the main sequence and is located at the so-called “Hertzsprung gap” - a transitional stage of stellar evolution, during which thermonuclear fusion 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 expansion to a red giant, the shells of the stars will expand and, quite likely, will touch.

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

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

5

Alternative title: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 point 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 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 class 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 greater than that of the Sun.

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

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

Vega rotates very quickly around its axis, at its equator the rotation speed reaches 274 km/s. Vega rotates a hundred times faster, resulting in the shape of an ellipsoid of revolution. The temperature of its photosphere is heterogeneous: the maximum temperature is at the pole of the star, the minimum is at the equator. Currently observed from Earth, Vega is seen almost pole-on, making it appear to be a bright blue-white star. Recently, asymmetries have been identified in Vega's disk, indicating the possible presence of at least one planet near Vega, which could be approximately the size of Jupiter.

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

4

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

Arcturus (Alramech, Azimekh, 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 is part of the Arcturus stellar stream, which, according to Ivan Minchev from 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 is not difficult to find in the sky. Visible anywhere in the world north of 71° south latitude, due to its slight northern declination. To find it in the sky, you need to draw an arc through the three stars of the handle of the Big Dipper - Aliot, Mizar, Benetnash (Alkaid).

Arcturus is an orange giant of spectral class K1.5 IIIpe. The letters “pe” (from 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, variability is caused by pulsations of the star's surface. The radius is 25.7 ± 0.3 solar radii, the surface temperature is 4300 K. The exact mass of the star is unknown, but most likely it is close to the solar mass. Arcturus is now at the stage of stellar evolution in which our daylight will be in the future - in the red giant phase. Arcturus is about 7.1 billion years old (but not more than 8.5 billion)

Arcturus, like more than 50 other stars, is located in the Arcturus stream, which unites stars of different ages and metallicity levels, moving at similar speeds and directions. Given the high speeds of 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 closest stars to us, may have an extragalactic origin.

The name of the star comes from ancient 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 guard his mother, the nymph Callisto, transformed by Hera into a bear (constellation Ursa Major). According to another version, Arkad is the constellation Bootes, whose brightest star is Arcturus.

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

In Hawaiian, Arcturus is called Hōkūle'a (Gav. Hōkūle'a) - "star of happiness", in the Hawaiian Islands it culminates almost exactly at the zenith. Ancient Hawaiian sailors used its height as a guide when sailing to Hawaii.

3

Alternative title: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 double star. All three are the stars closest to the Sun, with Proxima currently somewhat closer than the others.

α Centauri has its own names: Rigel Centaurus (romanization of the Arabic رجل القنطور‎ - “foot of the Centaur”), Bungula (possibly from the Latin ungula - “hoof”) and Toliman (possibly from the Arabic الظلمان‎ [al-Zulman] "Ostriches"), 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. Alpha's mass is 0.08 greater than the mass of the Sun, and it shines brighter and hotter. She is often reproached for overshadowing Beta Centauri, but thanks to her dual alliance, her friends are visible in the sky.

The second star, Centauri B, is 12% smaller than the Sun, therefore, cooler. 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 surfaces, as well as the formation of planets. Centauri B rotates relative to Centauri A. The orbit is similar to a highly elongated ellipse. It completes a revolution in 80 years, which is very fast on a cosmic scale.

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

It would take 1.1 million years for a modern spaceship to reach Alpha Centauri, so this won't happen in the near future.

2

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

The star Canopus or Alpha Carinae 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 distant from us at a distance of 310 light years.

Canopus has a spectral class of A9II, a surface temperature of 7350° Kelvin and a luminosity of 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 astronomical units, or 65 times that of the Sun. If Canopus were located at the center of the solar system, its outer edges would extend three-quarters of the way to Mercury. The Earth had to be removed at a distance three times the orbit of Pluto in order for Canopus to appear in the sky just like our Sun.

Canopus is a supergiant of spectral class F and appears white when viewed with the naked eye. With a luminosity of 13,600 times that of the Sun, Canopus is essentially 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), it would have an apparent magnitude of -37.

1

Alternative title:α Canis Majoris
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 clearly visible in the Northern Hemisphere during the winter months. Although its luminosity is 22 times greater than the luminosity of the Sun, it is by no means a record in the world of stars - the high visible brilliance 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 closest stars to us. Its brilliance is the result of its true brightness and its proximity to us.

Sirius has a spectral class of A1Vm, a surface temperature of 9940° Kelvin and a luminosity 25 times greater than 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, noticed that its trajectory, although straight, was 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 over a short period of time, which in itself was 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 “wiggles”. 18 years after the bold assumption, a small star was discovered near Sirius, which has a magnitude of 8.4 and is the first discovered white dwarf, and also the most massive, discovered to date.

The Sirius system is about 200-300 million years old. The system originally consisted of two bright bluish stars. The more massive Sirius B, consuming its resources, became a red giant before ejecting its outer layers and becoming a white dwarf about 120 million years ago. In conversation, Sirius is known as the "Dog Star", reflecting its affiliation with the constellation Canis Major. The sunrise of Sirius marked the flooding of the Nile in Ancient Egypt. The name Sirius comes from the ancient Greek “luminous” or “incandescent”.

Sirius is brighter than the closest 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 during the day. For best viewing, the sky should be very clear and the Sun should be low on the horizon. Sirius is currently approaching the solar system at a speed of 7.6 km/s, so the apparent brightness of the star will slowly increase over time.

10

Alternative title:α Southern Pisces
Apparent magnitude: 1,16
Distance to the Sun: 25 St. years

The brightest star in the constellation Southern Pisces and one of the brightest stars in the night sky. The star's name means "whale's mouth" in Arabic.

Fomalhaut is considered a relatively young star, with an age of 200 to 300 million years and an estimated lifespan of a billion years. The temperature on the surface of the star is about 8500 degrees Kelvin. Fomalhaut is 2.3 times heavier than the Sun, its luminosity is 16 times greater, and its radius is 1.85 times greater. It was found that Fomalhaut belongs to the class of young stars. This star is approximately 250 million years old. For comparison, our Sun is 4.57 billion years old. It turns out that our Sun is 18 times older than the star Fomalhaut!

According to the latest work of astronomers, it turned out that Fomalhaut is part of a wide triple star system. It was first revealed that the companion of the main star Fomalhaut A is the orange dwarf TW Pisces Southern Pisces (Fomalhaut B), located 0.9 light years away. The third star in the system is the red dwarf LP 876-10 (Fomalhaut C). It is 2.5 light years away from Fomalhaut A and has its own cometary belt.

The star Fomalhaut is part of the Castor group. This group includes stars that have a common relationship, as well as a common route of movement in space. In addition to the star Fomalhaut, this group also includes such famous celestial bodies as Vega, Alderamin, Castor, Alpha Libra and others.

9

Alternative title:α Virgo
Apparent magnitude: 1.04 (variable)
Distance to the Sun: 250 St. years

The star Spica or Alpha Virgo is the brightest star in the constellation Virgo. With an apparent magnitude of 0.98, Spica is the 15th brightest star in the night sky. Its absolute magnitude is -3.2, and its distance from Earth is 262 light years.

Spica is a close binary star whose components orbit a common center of mass every four days. They are located close enough to each other that they cannot be detected in a telescope as two separate stars. Changes in the orbital motion of this pair results in a Doppler shift in the absorption lines of their respective spectra, making them a spectral binary pair. The orbital parameters for this system were first derived using spectroscopic measurements.

The main star has a spectral class of B1 III-IV. It is a massive star, with a mass 10 times the mass of the Sun and a radius seven times greater. The total luminosity of this star is 12,100 times greater than that of the Sun and eight times greater than that of its companion. The main star of this pair is one of the closest stars to the Sun, which has enough mass to end its life in a Type II supernova explosion.

The secondary star of this system is one of the few stars that exhibits the Struve-Sahade effect. This is an anomalous change in the strength of spectral lines during orbit, where the lines become weaker as the star moves away from the observer. This star is smaller than the main one. Its mass is seven times that of the Sun, and the radius of the star is 3.6 solar radii. The star has a spectral class of B2 V, making it a main sequence star.

8

Alternative title:α Scorpio
Apparent magnitude: 0.91 (variable)
Distance to the Sun:~610 St. years

The brightest star in the constellation Scorpius and one of the brightest stars in the night sky, a red supergiant. Enters Bubble I - the region adjacent to the Local Bubble, which includes the Solar System.

The word Antares comes from the Greek ανταρης, which means “against Ares (Mars)” due to its red color resembling the planet Mars. The color of this star has attracted the interest of many peoples throughout history. In the Arab astronomical tradition it was called Kalb al-Aqrab (Heart of Scorpio). Many ancient Egyptian temples were oriented in such a way that the light of Antares played a role in the ceremonies that took place within them. In ancient Persia, Antares, which they called Satevis, was one of the four royal stars. In ancient India it was called Jyeshtha.

Antares is a class M supergiant, with a diameter of approximately 2.1 10 9 km. Antares is approximately 600 light years away from Earth. Its visible luminosity is 10,000 times that of the sun, but given that the star emits much of its energy in the infrared, the total luminosity is 65,000 times that of the sun. The star's mass is between 12 and 13 solar masses. The huge size and relatively small mass indicate that Antares has a very low density.

Along with Aldebaran, Spica and Regulus, Antares is one of the four brightest stars near the ecliptic. Located approximately 5° from the ecliptic, it is periodically occulted by the Moon and occasionally by planets. The sun passes just under 5° north of Antares every year on December 2nd.

Antares has a blue, hot companion star (Antares B) at a distance of about 2.9 arcseconds. Although it is 5th magnitude, it is usually difficult to see due to the brightness of Antares A. It can be observed with a small telescope for a few seconds during lunar occultation, when the main component of Antares is obscured by the Moon; Antares B was discovered by the Viennese astronomer Johann Tobias Bürg during one of these occultations on April 13, 1819. The satellite's orbital period is 878 years.

7

Alternative title:α Southern Cross
Apparent magnitude: 0,79
Distance to the Sun:~330 St. years

The star Acrux or Alpha Southern Cross is the “North Star” of the Southern Hemisphere. With its help, travelers still determine the direction to the south.

The star Acrux or Alpha Crucis is the brightest star in the Southern Cross constellation and the twelfth brightest in the entire night sky. This star is one of the few observed stars in the night sky whose name does not have a mythological origin. It was formed simply from the name of the constellation Southern Cross itself, which in Latin sounds like “Crux”. Alpha constellation Southern Cross - Alpha Crux - A-Crux.

Observations made by astronomers in the past and present centuries have shown that Acrux is in fact a system consisting of three stars. These stars can be distinguished from each other by observing them even with a home telescope. The first star of the Acrux system, Alpha 1, is a spectroscopic double star. With its companion, it rotates in the same orbit with a period of 76 Earth days.

As we have already found out, Acrux is a system of three stars, the closest of which are located at a distance of 320 astronomical units from the Solar System. Alpha 1, the main star of this system, has a magnitude of 1.40. Its mass is approximately 14 times that of our Sun. The second largest star in this system, Alpha 2, has a magnitude of 2.04 and a mass 10 times the weight of the Sun. As for the third star, it is still not clear whether it is gravitationally connected to the Acrux system or not. According to some data, it is a subgiant included in this system. According to others, this is a separate spectroscopic double star that is not related to Acrux. Perhaps further research by astronomers will help resolve this issue.

6

Alternative title:(β Centauri
Apparent magnitude: 0.61 (variable)
Distance to the Sun:~400 St. years

The second brightest star in the constellation Centaurus and the eleventh brightest star in the night sky. Hadar is a blue-white giant located approximately 525 light-years from the Solar System.

Beta Centauri has two most common names: Hadar and Agena. The first comes from Arabic and is translated as “bottom”. The second has Latin roots and is translated as “knee”. Both names are associated with the location of the star in the constellation Centaurus.

Data obtained by astronomer J. Booth back in 1935 confirmed that Beta Centauri is in fact a system consisting of three stars. The star Hadar itself, or, as it is also called, Hadar-A, is a pair of twin stars of spectral class B, which are three astronomical units apart from each other. This distance can vary due to the elliptical orbit in which these bodies move in outer space around a common center of mass. Hadar-B is a space object located at a considerable distance from the first two - 210 astronomical units. This star is smaller in size.

All three stars of the Hadar system move in the same orbit around a common center of mass with a period of 600 Earth years. Typically, when talking about the Hadar system, astronomers are referring to the Hadar-A group of stars, consisting of twin stars. The twin stars of the Hadar system are ancient space objects. The data obtained indicate that their age is at least 12 million years. Also, companion stars have quite a large mass. According to various sources, it is within 11-14 masses of our Sun. Current evidence indicates that Hadar-A's twin stars are constantly expanding. This leads some astronomers to believe that they will soon turn into red supergiants and then explode as supernovae.

5

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

4

Alternative title: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 is located at a distance of ~870 light years from us.

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

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

3

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

It would take 1.1 million years for a modern spaceship to reach Alpha Centauri, so this won't happen in the near future.

2

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

1

Alternative title:α Canis Majoris
Apparent magnitude: −1,46
Distance to the Sun: 8.6 St. years