Star Light, Star Bright

We all remember the poem: Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight. Well, right now there are two stars that are the likely candidates to be the first stars you see at night. Don't confuse stars with the two bright planets you can see right now - you can read all about them here.

If the first star you notice is near the top of the sky toward the west, and orange-red in color, you are seeing Arcturus. Arcturus is the 4th brightest star in the night sky, because is it only 37 light years away, and very large. It is a red giant star, which means it has used up most of its fuel in its core and puffed up to an enormous size. Our Sun will eventually become a red giant. See star chart below. 

Click for larger image. See Arcturus high in the southwest at 10 PM. Image credit: Stellarium.

In Latin, Arcturus means "bear guard". It is the brightest star in the constellation of Bootes, who is guarding Ursa Major and Minor, the Big Bear and Little Bear, as they circle the North Star.  

The other star you might see first at twilight is toward the east and also near the top of the sky. Vega is the 5th brightest star in the night sky, because it is only 25 light years away, and is very hot. Thousands of years in the past, Vega was the North Star, not Polaris. It will be the pole star again thousands of years in the future. Read more about pole stars here.  

Vega is the brightest star in the constellation of Lyra the Harp. See star chart below. 

See Vega high in the east at 10 PM.

So next time you are outside at night, look up! If you see a bright orange-red star, you are probably looking at Arcturus. If you see a blueish star, you are looking at Vega. If you find Vega, you can find the summer triangle - next week's topic! 

Learn how to find the constellations and planets at the Dome Planetarium. Find showtimes and descriptions here.