Arcturus facts for kids
Arcturus is a very bright star found in the constellation called Boötes. It is the brightest star you can see in the northern part of our sky. Imagine the sky as a giant ball around Earth; Arcturus shines brightly in its northern half.
This amazing star is the fourth brightest star we can see at night. Only Sirius, Canopus, and Alpha Centauri shine brighter than Arcturus. It has a brightness value of about -0.04, which astronomers call its "apparent magnitude." The lower the number, the brighter the star looks to us.
Arcturus is not too far away from Earth, only about 36.7 light-years from us. A light-year is the distance light travels in one year, which is a very, very long way! Because it's relatively close and very bright, it's one of the most powerful stars near our own Sun. Other bright stars in our cosmic neighborhood include Vega and Sirius.
Arcturus is known as an "orange giant" star. This means it's much bigger and brighter than our Sun. Its color is a reddish-orange. Scientists believe Arcturus has used up most of the hydrogen fuel in its center. This is why it has grown into a giant star. It will keep getting bigger before it moves to another stage of its life. Arcturus is huge, with a diameter of about 40 million kilometers!
Images for kids
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Arcturus is the brightest star in the constellation of Boötes.
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Optical image of Arcturus (DSS2 / MAST / STScI / NASA)
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Arcturus next to the head of Comet Donati in 1858
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See also
In Spanish: Arturo (estrella) para niños
