Stars are massive shining spheres of hot gas, the closest of which is our Sun. Stars are primarily made of hydrogen, smaller amounts of helium, and trace amounts of other elements. Even the most abundant of the other elements present in stars are only present in very small quantities. Those stars which you see with your naked eye in the night sky all belong to the Milky Way Galaxy, the huge system of stars that contains our solar system.
Here are the Top 10 Brightest stars as seen from Earth.
1) Sirius
Sirius, also known as the Dog Star, is the brightest star in the sky. Its name comes from the Greek word for scorching.
* Distance: 8.6 LY
* Spectral Type: A1Vm
2) Canopus
Named either for an ancient city in northern Egypt or the helmsman for Menelaus, Canopus is the second brightest star in the sky.
* Distance: 74 LY
* Spectral Type: F0II
3) Rigil Kentaurus
Rigel Kentaurus, also known as Alpha Centauri, is the third brightest star in the sky. Its name literally means foot of the centaur.
* Distance: 4.3 LY
* Spectral Type: G2V
4) Arcturus
Arcturus is the brightest star in the constellation Bootes, which is one of the oldest constellations in the night sky. It is the 4th-brightest star in the entire sky.
* Distance: 34 LY
* Spectral Type: 5IIIFe-0.5
5) Vega
Vega is the fifth brightest star in the sky. Its name comes from the Arabic for the swooping eagle. Vega is about 25 light-years from Earth.
* Distance: 25 LY
* Spectral Type: A0Va
6) Capella
The sixth brightest star in the sky, Capella's name is from the Latin for little she-goat. Capella is a yellow giant star, like our own sun, but much larger.
* Distance: 41 LY
* Spectral Type: G5IIIe+G0III
7) Rigel
The seventh brightest star in the sky, Rigel's name is from the Arabic for foot, indicating its place in the constellation Orion. It is a blue supergiant and part of a 4 star system.
* Dist
Answered by
RYAN
at
2:04 PM on May 22, 2007
