The fact of the star Arcturus is one of the most interesting things in astronomy.
In this universe, there are various stars. Humans on Earth can know the existence of these stars thanks to astronomers.
Arcturus is one of the stars that astronomers have studied for a long time. This star is the brightest in the constellation Bootes.
Besides the brightest, what other facts about this one star?
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5 Arcturus Star Facts You Should Know!
The name Arcturus comes from the Greek, namely Arktourus which means bear keeper. This star is also known as Alpha Bootes or Alpha Boo.
Arcturus also has a relatively close distance to our Sun, which is about 36.7 light years. Are there some fun facts about this star?
Become the Fourth Brightest Star
This one star is one of the brightest in the constellation Bootes. In addition, it turns out that this star is in the fourth position as the brightest star in the night sky.
Arcturus or who also has the nickname Alpha Bootes not only shines alone, but is also accompanied by the presence of Alpha Virginis and Beta Leonis.
About 7.1 Billion Years Old
The next fact about the star Arcturus is that it is quite old, even older than our sun.
Astronomers believe that Arcturus’ life began earlier than the Sun, which is 4.5 billion years old.
Using measurements of stars and other elements, astronomers estimate that this star is about 7.1 billion years old.
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The star Arcturus is 26 times the size of the sun
In addition to having a very bright light, it turns out that Arcturus also has a tremendous size.
This star is much larger than the Sun and is the brightest tike-K star.
Was Thought to Have a Planet
Early on in its discovery, astronomers had thought that Arcturus would have a planetary system larger than Jupiter.
However, astronomers who studied its motion saw that Arcturus moved in the same way as the other two giant stars, Aldebaran and Pollux.
They finally decided to draw the possibility that the movement was due to the existence of a giant planet that is about 12 times larger than Jupiter.
However, in the end astronomers concluded because the three stars do not have a super-Jupiter and their movement is intrinsic.
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Close to Earth
If from Earth, this star is only about 40 light years from Earth.
Arcturus is one of the ancient stars in the annals and stories of Polynesian navigators who sailed by starlight.
The Ancient Romans also used this star to predict weather conditions.
Knowing the facts about the star Arcturus, which is one of the largest stars in the solar system, is really interesting. This star has a much older age than the Sun and is almost close together. (R10/HR-Online)
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