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Vega: Brilliant blue-white star in the Summer Triangle

Posted by in Astronomy Essentials | Brightest Stars | 8 months ago

Vega is 1 of 3 stars in an asterism – or noticeable star pattern – called the Summer Triangle in the early evening sky.

A single bright star, Regulus. Above it is a faint smudge of light, the dwarf galaxy Leo I.

Meet Regulus, the Lion’s Heart

Posted by in Brightest Stars | 9 months ago

The bright star Regulus is very prominent in the evening sky in May. It looks like a single point of light, but is really 4 stars. It’s the brightest star in the constellation Leo the Lion.

Mimosa, 2nd-brightest in Southern Cross

Posted by in Astronomy Essentials | Brightest Stars | 10 months ago

To see Mimosa, you need to be at the latitude of New Orleans, Hawaii, Cairo or New Delhi. From the Southern Hemisphere, Mimosa is a prominent and beloved star.
The double star Mizar and Alcor in the Big Dipper.

Mizar and Alcor, famous double star

Posted by in Astronomy Essentials | Brightest Stars | 10 months ago

Mizar and its fainter companion star Alcor are easy to spot in the Big Dipper’s handle.
Image of bright star Pollux against a backdrop of fainter stars.

Pollux: The brighter twin star

Posted by in Brightest Stars | Space | 11 months ago

Pollux, the brightest star in the constellation Gemini, blazes in a golden light next to its bluish-white heavenly twin, Castor, in the evening skies of the Northern Hemisphere’s spring.

Image of bright star Castor against a backdrop of fainter stars.

Castor is six stars in one

Posted by in Brightest Stars | Space | 11 months ago

The bright bluish-white star, Castor, in the constellation Gemini, appears to our eyes as a single star. But it’s actually a family of 6 stars.

Come to know orange Arcturus in Boötes

Posted by and in Astronomy Essentials | Brightest Stars | 11 months ago

Orange Arcturus is more evolved than our sun and has swollen up to a larger size. It’s less than 37 light-years away and appears as the brightest star north of the celestial equator. The Big Dipper can help you find it.

Procyon is the Little Dog Star

Posted by in Astronomy Essentials | Brightest Stars | 11 months ago

The Dog Star, Sirius, is easy to spot because it’s the sky’s brightest star. Procyon – the other Dog Star – is near its brighter brother on the sky’s dome.

Elnath is close to the galactic anticenter

Posted by in Brightest Stars | 12 months ago

Elnath, the 2nd-brightest star in Taurus, is the closest bright star to the galactic anticenter – the point in space directly opposite our Milky Way’s center.

Rigel in Orion is blue-white

Posted by in Astronomy Essentials | Brightest Stars | 12 months ago

Rigel, brightest star in the easy-to-see constellation of Orion the Hunter, shines with a blue-white color. Hidden behind its brilliant classic beauty is a fascinating and complex stellar life history.