Arcturus, Brightest Star of the Northern Sky

The bright star Arcturus is easy to identify for those in the Northern Hemisphere. Just follow the arc in the handle of the Big Dipper. In other words, follow the arc to Arcturus. Image via EarthSky.

Arcturus is a red giant star. It’s about 25 times the size of our sun, and some 170 times more luminous. And considering the fact that it’s only 36.7 light-years away, it should be little surprise that Arcturus is the 4th-brightest star in Earth’s sky.

And when it comes to stars in the northern half of the sky, Arcturus is the very brightest. It’s far enough north on the sky’s dome that – for Northern Hemisphere observers – it’s visible at some point in the night throughout most of the year.

In the Northern Hemisphere, Arcturus is best viewed on spring or early summer evenings. There’s an easy mnemonic for finding it. Just remember the phrase follow the arc to Arcturus. You need to continue the arc of the Big Dipper’s handle on the sky until you reach a bright orange star. That will be Arcturus!

Arcturus is in the constellation Boötes the Herdsman. Boötes has the shape of a kite, and Arcturus is at the point where you’d attach a tail. You can see it on spring evenings in the Northern Hemisphere.

(Source: earthsky.org)