List of brightest stars facts for kids

This article lists stars based on their apparent magnitude. This is how bright they appear to us from Earth. It's different from how truly bright a star is, which is called its absolute magnitude. Many stars look bright because they are close to us, not because they are super powerful.

The brightness of stars is measured using a special scale called the magnitude scale. On this scale, smaller numbers mean a star is brighter. Even negative numbers are possible for the very brightest objects! For example, the Sun has a very low (negative) magnitude because it's so bright to us.

Some of the main star patterns (called asterisms) that include many bright stars in the night sky.

How We Measure Star Brightness

The Sun is by far the brightest star we see from Earth, with a magnitude of about -26.74. The next brightest star is Sirius, at about -1.46.

To give you an idea, here are some other bright objects in our Solar System and their brightest magnitudes:

• The Moon: -12.7
• Venus: -4.92
• Jupiter: -2.94
• Mars: -2.94
• Mercury: -2.48
• Saturn: -0.55

It's not always easy to rank stars perfectly by how bright they look. Here's why:

Stars in Groups

Sometimes, what looks like one star is actually two or more stars very close together. These are called binary stars or multiple star systems.

• If they look like a single point of light to our eyes, we measure their total brightness.
• If you can see them as separate stars, they are listed individually.

For example, Alpha Centauri looks like one bright star, but it's actually two main stars. Their combined brightness is -0.27, but their individual brightnesses are +0.01 and +1.33.

Different Ways to Measure Light

Scientists use special tools and filters to measure star brightness. These filters help them measure light in specific colors or wavelengths. The table below uses a filter that measures light similar to what the human eye sees. But stars also give off light in other ways, like infrared (heat) light. A star might look dim in visible light but be very bright in infrared. For example, Betelgeuse is much brighter in infrared light than in visible light.

Stars That Change Brightness

Some stars are called variable stars because their brightness changes over time. This can happen over days, months, or even years.

• For these stars, the table shows their brightest magnitude or an average brightness.
• Betelgeuse and Antares are examples of variable stars. Their brightness can go up and down.
• For some variable stars, especially red ones, it's hard to say exactly what their "maximum" brightness is because it changes each time.

Using Standard Stars

To make sure measurements are consistent, astronomers use certain stars as "standard stars." These stars have very carefully measured brightnesses that don't change much. They help astronomers compare and measure the brightness of other stars accurately.

Star Names and Labels

All the stars on this list have several official names or numbers. The table mainly uses their Bayer designation (like "Alpha Centauri") and their most common proper name (like "Sirius"). Most of these common names have been officially approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), which is a group of astronomers.

Brightest Stars Table

The information in this table comes from Wikipedia articles about each star. You can find more details and references in those individual articles.

Brightest Stars in Other Galaxies

Our own Milky Way galaxy has the Sun as its brightest star (from our view). But other galaxies also have their own brightest stars! Here are a few:

More About Stars

In Spanish: Anexo:Estrellas más brillantes para niños