Deneb facts for kids
Deneb is a very bright star. It is the brightest star in the constellation called Cygnus, which looks like a swan. Deneb is also known as Alpha Cygni.
This amazing star is part of a famous group of stars called the Summer Triangle. The Summer Triangle is made up of Deneb, Vega, and Altair. You can easily spot this triangle in the night sky during summer.
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How Bright is Deneb?
Deneb looks very bright from Earth. Its brightness is measured by something called apparent magnitude. Deneb's apparent magnitude is 1.25. This makes it the 20th brightest star we can see in the night sky!
It is hard to measure exactly how far away Deneb is or how much light it truly gives off. Scientists believe Deneb is about 2,600 light-years away from us. A light-year is the distance light travels in one year. This means the light we see from Deneb today started its journey 2,600 years ago!
Deneb is incredibly powerful. It is thought to be between 55,000 and 196,000 times brighter than our own Sun. Imagine how much light that is!
What Kind of Star is Deneb?
Deneb is a huge star known as a blue supergiant. Supergiants are some of the largest stars in the universe. Deneb is about 203 times bigger than our Sun. Its blue color tells us it is also very hot.
Deneb as a Future Pole Star
The Earth's axis slowly wobbles over thousands of years. This wobble means that different stars become the Pole Star over time. The Pole Star is the star that appears almost directly above the Earth's North Pole.
Right now, Polaris is our Pole Star. But in the distant future, Deneb will take its place! Deneb is expected to be the Pole Star around the year 9800 AD.
See also
In Spanish: Deneb para niños
Images for kids
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Deneb is the brighest star in the constellation of Cygnus (top)
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The Summer Triangle
