Flashcards
Brightest Stars of the Night Sky
Which star is the brightest in the night sky?
Arcturus
Capella
Sirius
Vega
Put these stars in order of how bright they look in our sky, from the brightest to the faintest.
Aldebaran
Achernar
Rigel
Arcturus
Fomalhaut
Put these stars in order of how bright they look in our sky, from the brightest to the faintest.
1. Arcturus
2. Rigel
3. Achernar
4. Aldebaran
5. Fomalhaut
Match each star to the constellation it belongs to.
Capella
Auriga
Match each star to the constellation it belongs to.
Arcturus
Boötes
Match each star to the constellation it belongs to.
Aldebaran
Taurus
Match each star to the constellation it belongs to.
Antares
Scorpius
Match each star to the constellation it belongs to.
Spica
Virgo
Name the three bright stars that form the Summer Triangle.
Vega, Deneb, Altair
The picture shows the Winter Triangle. Which three stars form it?
Procyon, Capella and Pollux
Sirius, Rigel and Aldebaran
Sirius, Procyon and Betelgeuse
Betelgeuse, Rigel and Sirius
Sirius, Procyon and Betelgeuse
True or false?
Betelgeuse looks orange-red because its surface is cooler than the Sun's.
True or false?
Rigel looks blue-white because its surface is hotter than the Sun's.
True or false?
A star's colour depends mainly on how far it is from Earth.
True or false?
Arcturus looks orange because it is moving away from us.
Fill in the gaps.
Alpha Centauri is the nearest star system to the Sun, about
. . . . . light-years away . Its closest member, Proxima Centauri, is a small
. . . . . too faint to see with the naked eye .
Alpha Centauri is the nearest star system to the Sun, about 4.4 light-years away . Its closest member, Proxima Centauri, is a small red dwarf too faint to see with the naked eye .
Is Polaris, the North Star, the brightest star in the night sky?
Yes, but only in winter, when it climbs highest in the sky.
No. It is only around the 50th brightest, but it hardly moves in the sky.
Yes. That is why sailors could always find it to steer north.
No. It is only around the 50th brightest, but it hardly moves in the sky.
Why does Sirius look brighter than any other star?
It is the biggest star we can see with the naked eye.
It gives off more light than any other star in our galaxy.
It is the only star near the Sun that is hotter than the Sun.
It shines quite strongly and is one of our nearest stars.
It shines quite strongly and is one of our nearest stars.
True or false?
A star of magnitude 1 looks brighter than a star of magnitude 3.
True or false?
A star of magnitude 0 looks 100 times brighter than a star of magnitude 5.
True or false?
Apparent magnitude tells us how much light a star really gives off.
True or false?
Under a dark sky, the naked eye can see stars down to about magnitude 6.
Which star is the second brightest in the night sky?
Rigel
Canopus
Alpha Centauri
Arcturus
In late 2019 and early 2020 Betelgeuse faded so much that people noticed it with the naked eye. What do astronomers think caused this “Great Dimming”?
A cloud of dust it threw off blocked part of its light.
Its light was dimmed by dust from a volcano on Earth.
A large planet passed in front of it.
It was starting to explode as a supernova.
A cloud of dust it threw off blocked part of its light.
Match each star to the meaning of its name.
Sirius
scorching
Match each star to the meaning of its name.
Aldebaran
the follower
Match each star to the meaning of its name.
Fomalhaut
mouth of the fish
Match each star to the meaning of its name.
Antares
rival of Mars
Match each star to the meaning of its name.
Rigel
foot
Which star is marked in the picture?
Regulus
Spica
Arcturus
Alphard
Pollux is one of the two bright “twin” stars of Gemini. What is the name of the other one?
Castor
Fill in the gaps.
Earth's axis slowly wobbles, making one full circle in about
. . . . . years . Because of this, in about 12,000 years the North Star will be
. . . . . .
Earth's axis slowly wobbles, making one full circle in about 26,000 years . Because of this, in about 12,000 years the North Star will be Vega .