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Wednesday, November 6, 2013

List of brightest stars

This article is about apparent magnitude
Below are listed the 91 brightest individual stars in order of their average apparent magnitudes in the visible spectrum as seen from Earth. This is not the same as a list of the brightest stars as seen with the naked eye, as close binary or multiple star systems will appear as a single star with an apparent magnitude greater than their individual components, e.g. the binary system Rigel Kentaurus has an apparent magnitude of -0.27, but the brightest individual star is Alpha Centauri A with the apparent magnitude as listed here of -0.01. Hence Alpha Centauri is the third brightest star in the night sky, whilst its brightest component Alpha Centauri A is the fourth brightest individual star. Stellar brightness in this selected table is limited to brighter than +2.50 magnitude, mostly as the available number of observable stars increases almost exponentially as the magnitude increases.[1] To the naked eye on a clear dark night, in a location far from cities and lights, the total number of stars visible is around 9000 (9110 stars in the Bright Star Catalogueof naked eye stars). Stars visible through optical aid increase this even further. Telescopically, the entire night's sky has been mapped, photographed and catalogued almost completely down to 11th magnitude, and recent star surveys are continuing to catalogue much fainter stars.
For comparison, the non-stellar objects in our Solar System with maximum visible magnitudes below +2.50 are the Moon (−12.92), Venus (−4.89), Jupiter (−2.94), Mars (−2.91),Mercury (−2.45), and Saturn (−0.49).
An exact order of the visual brightness of stars is not perfectly defined for the following reasons:
  • The brightnesses of all stars were traditionally based on the apparent visual magnitude as perceived by the human eye, from the brightest stars of 1st magnitude to the faintest at 6th magnitude. The invention of the telescope and the discovery of double or binary stars meant that star brightness could be individual (separate) or total (combined).
  • More and more accurate instrumental photometry differentiated stellar magnitudes, often changing the order of lists of brighter stars.
  • Stellar magnitude is sometimes listed by the apparent brightness of stars as seen to the naked eye as if they were single stars, as it is here. Other examples include Norton's Star Atlas 18th Edition pg. 136.[2]
  • Other stellar magnitude lists report individual stars, differentiating those in binary stars or double star systems. Often, the differences apply to the ten or hundred brightest stars. For example, the total or combined magnitude of Capella is 0.08, while Capella A and B have magnitudes of 0.76 and 0.91.
  • A third kind includes the Sun as first in the magnitude listings, making Sirius 2nd, Canopus 3rd, etc. Some, like this list, place the Sun at zero, as it is not a nighttime star.
  • There are sometimes small statistical variations in measured magnitudes; however, for most of the brightest stars, accurate photometry means brightness stays unchanged. These particular stars are sometimes called standard stars, which appear in the Catalogues of Fundamental Stars like the FK4, FK5 or FK6.
  • Some stars, like Betelgeuse and Antares, are variable stars, changing their magnitude over days, months or years. (In the table, these are indicated with var.)
V Mag.
(m)
Bayer designationProper nameDistance (ly)Spectral classSIMBAD
0−26.74 (Sun)0.000 016G2 V
1−1.46α CMaSirius8.6A1 VSirius A
2−0.72α CarCanopus310F0 IaCanopus
3−0.27α Cen AB (α1 Cen)Rigil Kentaurus, Toliman4.4G2 V/K1 VAlpha Centauri A
4−0.04 varα BooArcturus37K1.5 IIIArcturus
50.03α LyrVega25A0 VVega
60.08α AurCapella42G8 III, G1 IIICapella A
70.12β OriRigel770B8 IabRigel
80.34α CMiProcyon11F5 IV-VProcyon
90.42 varα OriBetelgeuse640 [3]M2 IabBetelgeuse
100.50α EriAchernar140B3 VpeAchernar
110.60β CenHadar, Agena350B1 IIIHadar (Agena)
120.77α AqlAltair17A7 VAltair
130.77α CruAcrux320B1 VAcrux A
140.85 varα TauAldebaran65K5 IIIAldebaran
150.96α2 AurCapella B42G1 IIICapella B
161.04α VirSpica260B1 III-IV, B2 VSpica
171.09 varα ScoAntares600M1.5 Iab-bAntares
181.15β GemPollux34K0 IIIbPollux
191.16α PsAFomalhaut25A3 VFomalhaut
201.25α CygDeneb1,550A2 IaDeneb
211.30β CruMimosa, Becrux350B0.5 IVMimosa
221.35α LeoRegulus77B7 VRegulus
231.51ε CMaAdara430B2 IabAdara
241.58α GemCastor52A1 V, A2 VmCastor
251.62λ ScoShaula700B1.5-2 IV+Shaula
261.63γ CruGacrux88M4IIIGacrux
271.64γ OriBellatrix240B2 IIIBellatrix
281.68β TauEl Nath130B7 IIIEl Nath
291.68β CarMiaplacidus110A2 IVMiaplacidus
301.70ε OriAlnilam1,300B0 IabAlnilam
311.70ζ Ori AAlnitak820O9 IabAlnitak A
321.74α GruAlnair100B7 IVAl Na'ir
331.76ε UMaAlioth81A0pCrAlioth
341.78γ2 VelSuhail, Regor840WC8 + O7.5eGamma2 Velorum
351.79α UMaDubhe120K0 III, F0 VDubhe
361.80ε SgrKaus Australis140B9.5 IIIKaus Australis
371.82α PerMirfak590F5 IbMirfak
381.84δ CMaWezen1,800F8 IaWezen
391.85η UMaBenetnasch, Alkaid100B3 VBenetnasch (Alkaid)
401.86θ ScoSargas270F1 IISargas
411.86ε CarAvior630K3 III, B2 VpAvior
421.90γ GemAlhena100A0 IVAlhena
431.91α PavPeacock180B2 IVPeacock
441.92α TrAAtria420K2 IIb-IIIaAtria
451.96δ VelKoo She80A1 V, F2-F5Delta Velorum
461.97 varα UMiPolaris430F7 Ib-IIPolaris
471.98β CMaMirzam500B1 II-IIIMurzim
481.98α HyaAlphard180K3 II-IIIAlphard
492.00α AriHamal66K2IIICa-1Hamal
502.01γ1 LeoAlgieba130K0 IIIb, G7 IIICNAlgieba
512.04β CetDeneb Kaitos, Diphda96K0 IIIDeneb Kaitos
522.05κ OriSaiph720B0.5IavarSaiph
532.06σ SgrNunki, Sadira220B2.5 VNunki
542.06θ CenMenkent61K0IIIbMenkent
552.06α AndAlpheratz, Sirrah97B8IVAlpheratz
562.06β AndMirach200M0IIIMirach
572.08β UMiKochab130K4 IIIKochab
582.10α OphRasalhague47A5VRas Alhague
592.12 varβ PerAlgol93B8VAlgol
602.13β GruGruid170M5 IIIBeta Gruis
612.14β LeoDenebola36A3 VDenebola
622.15γ AndAlmach350K3IIb, B9.5VAlmach
632.17γ CenMuhlifain130A1IV, (A0III/A0III)Muhlifain
642.21ζ PupNaos, Suhail Hadar1,400O5 IaZeta Puppis
652.21α CrBAlphecca, Gemma75A0V, G5VAlphecca
662.23λ VelSuhail570K4.5 Ib-IILambda Velorum
672.23γ DraEltanin150K5 IIIEtamin
682.23ζ1 UMaMizar78A2 VMizar A
692.23δ OriMintaka900O9.5 II, B0.5IIIMintaka
702.24γ CygSadr1,500F8 IbSadr
712.25α CasSchedar230K0 IIIaSchedar
722.25ι CarAspidiske, Turais690A8 IbAspidiske
732.27β CasCaph54F2 III-IVCaph
742.27ε CenBirdun380B1IIIEpsilon Centauri
752.28α LupMen, Kakkab550B1.5 IIAlpha Lupi
762.29δ ScoDschubba400B0.2 IVDschubba
772.29ε ScoWei65K2 IIIbWei
782.32η CenMarfikent310B1.5VneEta Centauri
792.35β UMaMerak79A1VMerak
802.37α PheAnkaa, Nair al Zaurak77K0 IIIAnkaa
812.38κ ScoGirtab460B1.5 IIIGirtab
822.39γ CasTsih, Navi610B0.5 IVeGamma Cassiopeiae
832.40ε PegEnif670K2 IbEnif
842.40η CMaAludra3,200B5 IaAludra
852.42β PegScheat200M2.3 II-IIIScheat
862.43γ UMaPhecda84A0Ve SBPhecda
872.43η OphSabik49A1 V, A3 VSabik
882.44α CepAlderamin49A7 IVAlderamin
892.46κ VelMarkeb540B2 IV-VKappa Velorum
902.49α PegMarkab140B9 IIIMarkab
912.50ε CygGienah72K0 IIGienah

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