Sirius: Difference between revisions
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== Star == | == Star == | ||
Sirius is the brightest star in Earth's night sky, and one of the closest, at 8.6 light years distance. A binary star system, it lies in Canis Major, near the Orion constellation. The main A-type star has a magnitude of −1.46. The system is between 200 and 300 million years old.<ref>http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1086/462419/meta;jsessionid=916A182CBB756B2A4271550344CB78D0.c1.iopscience.cld.iop.org</ref> Originally it was composed of two bright blueish stars. | Sirius is the brightest star in Earth's night sky, and one of the closest, at 8.6 light years distance. A binary star system, it lies in Canis Major, near the Orion constellation. The main A-type star has a magnitude of −1.46 and there is a faint white dwarf companion. The system is between 200 and 300 million years old.<ref>http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1086/462419/meta;jsessionid=916A182CBB756B2A4271550344CB78D0.c1.iopscience.cld.iop.org</ref> Originally it was composed of two bright blueish stars. | ||
Sirius is also called the Dog Star in some ancient cultures. The phrase "the dog days of summer" means the hottest days of summer. | Sirius is also called the Dog Star in some ancient cultures. The phrase "the dog days of summer" means the hottest days of summer. | ||