AUGUST MISSION-The 10 Brightest Stars

2. Canopus
Canopus resides in the constellation Carina, The Keel. Carina is one of three modern-day constellations that formed the ancient constellation of Argo Navis, the ship Jason and the Argonauts sailed in to search for the Golden Fleece. Two other constellations form the Sail (Vela) and Stern (Puppis).

In modern odysseys, spacecraft such as Voyager 2 used the light from Canopus to orient themselves in the sea of space.

3. Alpha Centauri
Alpha Centauri (or Rigel Kentaurus, as it is also known) is actually a system composed of three gravitationally bound stars. The two main stars are Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B. The tiniest star in the system is a red dwarf known as Alpha Centauri C.

The Alpha Centauri system is a special one. At an average distance of 4.3 light-years, these stars are our nearest known neighbors in space beyond the solar system.

4. Arcturus
Arcturus is the brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere. (The first three stars on this list are actually in the southern celestial sphere, though seasonally they are visible from the northern hemisphere of Earth).

Known as the Bear Watcher, Arcturus follows Ursa Major, the Great Bear, around the north celestial pole. The name itself derives from the Greek word arktos, meaning bear.

Arcturus is an orange giant, twice as massive and 215 times as bright as the Sun. It takes 37 years for the light of Arcturus to reach us, so when we gaze upon it, we are seeing the star as it looked 37 years ago.

5. Vega
The name Vega derives from the Arabic word for Swooping Eagle or Vulture. Vega is the luminary of Lyra, the Harp, a small but prominent constellation that is home to the Ring Nebula and the star Epsilon Lyrae.

The Ring is a luminous shell of gas that was ejected from an old star. It resembles a smoke ring or donut. Epsilon Lyrae appears to the naked-eye as a double star, but through a small telescope you can see that the two individual stars are themselves double! Epsilon Lyrae is popularly known as the "double double."

Vega is a hydrogen-burning dwarf star, 54 times more luminous and 1.5 times more massive than the Sun. At 25 light-years away, it is relatively close to us. It shines, therefore, with a magnitude of 0.03 in the night sky.

6. Capella
Capella is the primary star in the constellation Auriga the "Charioteer" and the brightest star that is near the north celestial pole.

Capella is a fascinating star system comprised of two similar class G yellow giant stars and a pair of much fainter red dwarf stars. The brighter yellow giant, known as Aa, is 80 times more luminous and nearly three times more massive than our Sun. The fainter yellow giant, known as Ab, is 50 times more luminous than the Sun and two-and-a-half times as massive. The combined luminosity of the two stars is about 130 suns.

7. Rigel
On the western heel of Orion, the Hunter, rests brilliant Rigel. In classical mythology, Rigel marks the spot where Scorpio, the Scorpion stung Orion after a brief and fierce battle. Its Arabic name means the Foot.

Rigel is a multiple star system. The brighter component, Rigel A, is a blue super giant that shines a remarkable 40,000 times stronger than the Sun! Although 775 light-years distant, its light shines bright in our evening skies, at magnitude 0.12.

Rigel resides in the most impressive of the winter constellations, mighty Orion. With the exception of the Big Dipper, it is the most recognized and easiest to identify constellation.

8. Procyon
Procyon resides in the small constellation of Canis Minor, the Little Dog. The constellation symbolizes the smaller of Orion’s two hunting dogs (Canis Minor and Canis Major).

The word Procyon is Greek for Before the Dog, for the reason that in the Northern Hemisphere, Procyon announces the rise of Sirius, the Dog Star.

9. Achernar
Achernar is derived from the Arabic phrase meaning "the end of the river," an appropriate name for a star that marks the southernmost flow of the constellation Eridanus, the River.

Achernar is the hottest star on this list. Its temperature has been measured to be between 24,740 and 33,740 degrees Fahrenheit (14, 000-19,000 Kelvin). Its luminosity ranges from 2,900 to 5,400 times that of the Sun. Shining at magnitude 0.45, its light takes 144 years to reach your eye.

10. Betelgeuse
Don’t let Betelgeuse’s ranking as the tenth brightest star in the sky fool you. Its distance -- 430 light-years -- hides the true scale of this supergiant. With a whopping luminosity of 55,000 suns, Betelgeuse still shines bright in our skies at a magnitude of 0.5.

Betelgeuse (pronounced beetle juice by most astronomers) derives its name from an Arabic phrase meaning "the armpit of the central one."

From "The 10 Brightest Stars"
By Pedro Braganca
Special to SPACE.com

1. Which star has the neatest name?

3. Isn't it great that this star is the brightest?(Arf)(Arf)

4. Procyson is greek for what?