How many facts are there to be known or learned about all the objects and phenomenon in our entire universe? Just think: there are about 1 x 10 ^22 stars in the universe, that's 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars; then there are many of those stars that have planets in orbit around them. Then consider the moons that orbit those planets and the comets and asteroids, the galaxies these stars form, the nebulae and black holes and everything else that's out there. The amount of information and data is really quite mind-boggling. This article definitely will not contain every fact about astronomy, but they are very interesting facts nevertheless.
Let's take a look at a small subset of astronomy: "the brightest stars as seen from Earth". That's discounting the Sun which is about 250,000 times closer than the next nearest star. It's so bright that when the sky is viewed from the Earth, it washes out all the other stars in the sky during a phenomenon called daylight.
So, while reading this list, please bear in mind that according to the scale we are using, lower numbers are brighter: the Sun would be roughly -26.73, whereas the full moon is about -12.6; keeping that in mind, here are the top 5:
#5 is Vega, which means "falling eagle" in Arabic is in Lyra. It's roughly 25 light years away and has a magnitude of 0.04.
When considering these astronomical facts, please remember that 'brightest from Earth' doesn't mean largest or brightest. The Sun is not the largest or brightest star in the universe or even the galaxy, yet it appears so bright because it is so near compared to other stars.
#4 is Rigel - a very bright, bluish-white supergiant star in the constellation Orion. It is a binary star, with an average apparent magnitude of 0.12. It's scientific name is Beta Orionis. Rigel is Arabic for 'foot'. It's about four light years from Earth.
#3 is Arcturus. The name means 'guardian of the bear' in Latin/Greek. This star is about 37 light years from us. It is to be found in the constellation of Bootes near the Great Bear. It has a magnitude of 0.00
#2 Canopus. Of these top five, Canopus, the Greek name for the pilot of the vessel Argo made famous in the stories about Jason and the Argonauts, is the brightest. But it's 313 light years from Earth, so it's just second on this list as seen from Earth. It has a magnitude of -.62 as seen from this planet.
#1 is Sirius, meaning 'scorching' in Greek. It's also called the 'Dog Star' because it is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major ('The Big Dog'). It's only 9 light years from Earth. That's second closest of these top five. But from Earth it has a magnitude of -1.44. That makes it easily the brightest star as seen in the night sky.
These facts don't even scratch the surface on the subject of astronomy but it's something to think about anyway the next time you look up into the sky at night.
Let's take a look at a small subset of astronomy: "the brightest stars as seen from Earth". That's discounting the Sun which is about 250,000 times closer than the next nearest star. It's so bright that when the sky is viewed from the Earth, it washes out all the other stars in the sky during a phenomenon called daylight.
So, while reading this list, please bear in mind that according to the scale we are using, lower numbers are brighter: the Sun would be roughly -26.73, whereas the full moon is about -12.6; keeping that in mind, here are the top 5:
#5 is Vega, which means "falling eagle" in Arabic is in Lyra. It's roughly 25 light years away and has a magnitude of 0.04.
When considering these astronomical facts, please remember that 'brightest from Earth' doesn't mean largest or brightest. The Sun is not the largest or brightest star in the universe or even the galaxy, yet it appears so bright because it is so near compared to other stars.
#4 is Rigel - a very bright, bluish-white supergiant star in the constellation Orion. It is a binary star, with an average apparent magnitude of 0.12. It's scientific name is Beta Orionis. Rigel is Arabic for 'foot'. It's about four light years from Earth.
#3 is Arcturus. The name means 'guardian of the bear' in Latin/Greek. This star is about 37 light years from us. It is to be found in the constellation of Bootes near the Great Bear. It has a magnitude of 0.00
#2 Canopus. Of these top five, Canopus, the Greek name for the pilot of the vessel Argo made famous in the stories about Jason and the Argonauts, is the brightest. But it's 313 light years from Earth, so it's just second on this list as seen from Earth. It has a magnitude of -.62 as seen from this planet.
#1 is Sirius, meaning 'scorching' in Greek. It's also called the 'Dog Star' because it is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major ('The Big Dog'). It's only 9 light years from Earth. That's second closest of these top five. But from Earth it has a magnitude of -1.44. That makes it easily the brightest star as seen in the night sky.
These facts don't even scratch the surface on the subject of astronomy but it's something to think about anyway the next time you look up into the sky at night.
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