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Epsilon Lyrae is the famous Double Double star
To the unaided eye, Epsilon Lyrae appears as one star. But it’s actually a system with at least five stars. Learn how to find it here.
July 4, 2023
Massive ruby red Antares is the Scorpion’s Heart
Red Antares, Heart of the Scorpion in the constellation Scorpius, is a mighty star, a red supergiant in the last stages of its life span.
June 29, 2023
See Mira the Wonderful at its brightest
Catch elusive wonderful Mira, a famous variable star in the constellation Cetus, at its maximum brightness in June 2023. Now you see it ... now you don't!
June 11, 2023
Will Betelgeuse explode in ‘tens of years’?
Betelgeuse will explode as a supernova someday. It's close enough that it'll shine brightly during the day but far enough that Earth won't be in any danger.
June 3, 2023
Spica, the bright beacon of Virgo, is 2 stars
Spica is a very close, scorching-hot pair of stars, whirling around one another. One of them may go supernova someday. It's the brightest star in Virgo.
May 11, 2023
Meet Regulus, the Lion’s Heart
The bright star Regulus in Leo the Lion is prominent in the evening sky in May. It looks like a single point of light, but is really four stars.
May 9, 2023
Polaris – the North Star – is part of the Little Dipper
Many people think Polaris is the brightest star, but it's only 48th in brightness. Still, Polaris is famous because the entire northern sky wheels around it.
May 7, 2023
Arcturus, the brightest star of the northern sky
Arcturus is the brightest star north of the celestial equator. Near the handle of the Big Dipper, it's easy to find in spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
May 3, 2023
Alpha Centauri, the star system closest to our sun
Our closest stellar neighbors are the 3 stars that are the Alpha Centauri system. They lie just over 4 light-years away (25 trillion miles or 38 trillion km).
April 16, 2023
Acrux is the brightest star in the Southern Cross
You have to go far south on Earth's globe to see the Southern Cross constellation. Bluish Acrux, aka Alpha Crucis, is its brightest star.
April 2, 2023
