stars channel library

 

Stars are celestial bodies made up of hot gases. Stars radiate energy that comes form thermonuclear reactions. In this section you will learn all about stars and their importance in the universe.

Featured Article:  How Stars Work

When you look up at night and see thousands of stars, have you ever wondered what you are looking at? Learn what stars are and how they live and die! See more »

How Stars Work

How Stars Work

When you look up at night and see thousands of stars, have you ever wondered what you are looking at? Learn what stars are and how they live and die!

See more »

Achernar

Achernar, a blue-white star in the constellation Eridanus. Achernar has an apparent magnitude of 0.5, making it one of the brightest stars in the nighttime sky.

See more »

Algol

Algol, a variable star in the constellation Perseus. (A variable star is one that changes in brightness.) Algol, which was observed by the ancient Greeks and named by the Arabs, is now known to be a complex system of at least four stars revolving around one another.

See more »

Alpha Centauri

Alpha Centauri, a system of three stars, one of whose membersProxima Centauriis the star nearest the sun.

See more »

Altair

Altair, the brightest star in the constellation Aquila. It is the 12th brightest star in the sky, with an apparent magnitude of 0.77.

See more »

Antares

Antares, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius. The star has a red color like that of the planet Mars.

See more »

Arcturus,

Arcturus, the brightest star in the constellation Botes and one of the brightest stars in the night sky.

See more »

Beta Centauri

Beta Centauri, or Hadar, one of the brightest stars in the night sky. It is the second brightest star (after Alpha Centauri) in Centaurus, a southern constellation.

See more »

Betelgeuse

Betelgeuse, a bright reddish star in the constellation Orion, some 600 light-years from the earth.

See more »

Canopus

Canopus, the second brightest star in the night sky. (Sirius is the brightest.) Canopus is in the constellation Carina.

See more »

Castor and Pollux

Castor and Pollux, in Greek and Roman legend, sons of the Spartan queen Leda. One legend says they were twins, and that Zeus was their father.

See more »

How are astronomers able to measure how far away a star is?

It turns out that measuring the distance to a star is an interesting problem! Astronomers have come up with two different techniques to estimate how far away any given star is.

See more »

Mira

Mira, a reddish variable star of Cetus, the Whale, a constellation on the celestial equator.

See more »

North Star

North Star, or Pole Star, a bright star near the north celestial pole (the point in the sky toward which the northern end of the earth's axis points).

See more »

Procyon

Procyon, the brightest star in the constellation Canis Minor (Little Dog) and one of the brightest stars in the night sky.

See more »

Regulus

Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo. It is also called Alpha Leonis and Cor Leonis.

See more »

Rigel

Rigel, or Beta Orionis, a bright star in the southwest corner of the constellation Orion.

See more »

Sirius

Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. It is called the Dog Star, being the chief star of the constellation Canis Major (great dog).

See more »

How do astronomers detect that a star has a planet orbiting it?

According to an article I read, astronomers are able to detect that star has a planet orbiting it by observing the "wobble" of the star induced by the gravitational pull of one or more planets. At the tremendous distances involved, what is the technology that enables these discoveries?

See more »