List of brightest stars

Wikimedia list article

Below are the 52 brightest individual stars in order of their average apparent magnitudes in the visible spectrum as seen from Earth.

To the naked eye on a clear dark night, in a place far from cities and lights, the total number of stars visible is about 9000. This is not the same as a list of the brightest stars as seen with the naked eye, because close binary or multiple star systems will appear as a single star brighter than their individual components. The binary system Alpha Centauri 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.[1]

  V Mag.
(m)
Bayer designation Proper name Distance (ly) Spectral class SIMBAD
0 0.000−26.74   (Sun) 0.000 016 G2 V
1 0.001−1.46 α CMa Sirius 0008.6 A1 V Sirius A
2 0.003−0.72 α Car Canopus 0310 F0 Ia Canopus
3 0.004−0.27 α Cen AB (α1 Cen) Alpha Centauri 0004.4 G2 V/K1 V Alpha Centauri A
4 0.003−0.04 var α Boo Arcturus 0037 K1.5 III Arcturus
5 0.03 α Lyr Vega 0025 A0 V Vega
6 0.08 α Aur Capella 0042 G8 III, G1 III Capella A
7 0.12 β Ori Rigel 0860 B8 Iab Rigel
8 0.34 α CMi Procyon 0011 F5 IV-V Procyon
9 0.42 var α Ori Betelgeuse 0640 [2] M2 Iab Betelgeuse
10 0.50 α Eri Achernar 0140 B3 Vpe Achernar
11 0.60 β Cen Hadar, Agena 0350 B1 III Hadar (Agena)
12 0.77 α Aql Altair 0017 A7 V Altair
13 0.77 α Cru Acrux 0320 B1 V Acrux A
14 0.85 var α Tau Aldebaran 0065 K5 III Aldebaran
15 0.96 α2 Aur Capella B 0042 G1 III Capella B
16 1.04 α Vir Spica 0260 B1 III-IV, B2 V Spica
17 1.09 var α Sco Antares 0600 M1.5 Iab-b Antares
18 1.15 β Gem Pollux 0034 K0 IIIb Pollux
19 1.16 α PsA Fomalhaut 0025 A3 V Fomalhaut
20 1.25 α Cyg Deneb 1,550 A2 Ia Deneb
21 1.30 β Cru Mimosa, Becrux 0350 B0.5 IV Mimosa
22 1.35 α Leo Regulus 0077 B7 V Regulus
23 1.51 ε CMa Adara 0430 B2 Iab Adara
24 1.58 α Gem Castor 0052 A1 V, A2 Vm Castor
25 1.62 λ Sco Shaula 0700 B1.5-2 IV+ Shaula
26 1.63 γ Cru Gacrux 0088 M4III Gacrux
27 1.64 γ Ori Bellatrix 0240 B2 III Bellatrix
28 1.68 β Tau El Nath 0130 B7 III El Nath
29 1.68 β Car Miaplacidus 0110 A2 IV Miaplacidus
30 1.70 ε Ori Alnilam 1,300 B0 Iab Alnilam
31 1.70 ζ Ori A Alnitak 0820 O9 Iab Alnitak A
32 1.74 α Gru Alnair 0100 B7 IV Al Na'ir
33 1.76 ε UMa Alioth 0081 A0pCr Alioth
34 1.78 γ2 Vel Suhail, Regor 0840 WC8 + O7.5e Gamma2 Velorum
35 1.79 α UMa Dubhe 0120 K0 III, F0 V Dubhe
36 1.80 ε Sgr Kaus Australis 0140 B9.5 III Kaus Australis
37 1.82 α Per Mirfak 0590 F5 Ib Mirfak
38 1.84 δ CMa Wezen 1,800 F8 Ia Wezen
39 1.85 η UMa Benetnasch, Alkaid 0100 B3 V Benetnasch (Alkaid)
40 1.86 θ Sco Sargas 0270 F1 II Sargas
41 1.86 ε Car Avior 0630 K3 III, B2 Vp Avior
42 1.90 γ Gem Alhena 0100 A0 IV Alhena
43 1.91 α Pav Peacock 0180 B2 IV Peacock
44 1.92 α TrA Atria 0420 K2 IIb-IIIa Atria
45 1.96 δ Vel Koo She 0080 A1 V, F2-F5 Delta Velorum
46 1.97 var α UMi Polaris 0430 F7 Ib-II Polaris
47 1.98 β CMa Mirzam 0500 B1 II-III Murzim
48 1.98 α Hya Alphard 0180 K3 II-III Alphard
49 2.00 α Ari Hamal 0066 K2IIICa-1 Hamal
50 2.01 γ1 Leo Algieba 0130 K0 IIIb, G7 IIICN Algieba
51 2.02 β Cet Diphda 0096 K0 III Diphda
52 2.04 ζ UMa Mizar 0083 A2 Vp, A2 Vp, Am 53 Mizar

References change

  1. "How Many Stars You Can Observe".
  2. Graham M. Harper, Alexander Brown, and Edward F. Guinan (April 2008). "A New VLA-Hipparcos Distance to Betelgeuse and its Implications" (PDF). The Astronomical Journal. 135 (4). IOP Publishing: 1430–1440. Bibcode:2008AJ....135.1430H. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/135/4/1430. S2CID 34660949. Retrieved 2010-07-10.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)