Delta Cephei doubles in brightness every 5.36 days. This star and others like it have helped establish the known scale of our galaxy and universe.

Altair needs only 10 hours to spin once on its axis, in contrast to roughly a month for our sun. This mighty star spins on its axis more rapidly than Earth!

The entire northern sky wheels around Polaris. Some assume it’s the brightest star in the sky. In fact, Polaris ranks only 50th in brightness.

On summer evenings, you can spot red Antares, the ruby Heart of Scorpius the Scorpion. It is the 16th brightest star and one of the most gigantic stars known.

Deneb is one of the most distant stars you will see with your eye alone. That’s because it’s one of the most luminous stars in the Milky Way galaxy.

Vega is the brightest star in the constellation Lyra the Harp. That’s why it’s often called the Harp Star.

Although some scientists claim stars can’t look green, some think Zubeneschamali proves otherwise.

Thuban was the Pole Star some 5,000 years ago, when the Egyptians were building the pyramids.

Spica is a binary star, with two stars larger and hotter than the sun, telescopically indistinguishable from a single point of light.

Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo the Lion, is known to spin rapidly on its axis. If it spun only slightly more rapidly, the star would fly apart.