Astronomy: Stars

This page includes questions about stars, that aren't covered in Brightest Stars.

Number of stars in The Plough (including a triple counted as one)		7
Number of constellations that modern astronomers recognise		88
The nearest galaxy to ours (2.5 million light years), and the most distant object visible to the naked eye; named after the constellation in which it appears, which in turn is named after a princess in Greek myth		Andromeda
The second brightest star, after Sirius: in Carina (the Keel, formerly part of Argo Navis, the ship Argo)		Canopus
Auriga is the Latin name of the constellation known in English as the		Charioteer
Pyxis is the Latin name of the constellation known in English as the		Compass
Astronomical object in the constellation Taurus: the result of a supernova that was recorded by the Chinese in the year 1054 AD – visible in daylight for 23 days; named after the creature that it looks a bit like		Crab nebula
The Hubble Classification classifies		Galaxies
Castor and Pollux (named after the twins from Greek mythology) are the two brightest stars in		Gemini
Largest constellation (covers 6.32% of the visible sky)		Hydra
The two small galaxies near the southern celestial pole		Magellanic Clouds
Rigel (rhymes with Nigel) and Betelgeuse (bettle–jers) are the two brightest stars in (constellation)		Orion
Canis major and Canis minor are the hunting dogs of
The Horsehead nebula is in
The three stars Alnilam, Alnitak and Mintaka – also known as the Three Kings or the Three Sisters – make up		Orion's belt
Star cluster in the constellation of Taurus, known as the Seven Sisters		Pleiades
Commonly known in the USA as the Big Dipper, and historically in the UK as Charles's Wain (part of Ursa Major)		The Plough
Merak and Dubhe (in Ursa Major): commonly known as		The Pointers
Astronomers' name for the Pole Star or North Star – the brightest star in Ursa Minor		Polaris
The 'pointers' (in the Plough, or Ursa Major) point to
Nearest star to the Sun (not Alpha Centauri)		Proxima Centauri
Brightest star in Orion; a blue–white supergiant, diameter approx. 50 times that of the Sun; intrinsically the brightest star in the sky, but the 7th brightest as seen from Earth		Rigel
The object that scientists believe is a supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way galaxy is in the constellation		Sagittarius
The Dog Star – Alpha Canis Majoris – the brightest star in the sky		Sirius
Smallest of the 88 constellations (but one of the brightest)		Southern Cross (Crux)
Constellation that includes the Crab Nebula (appeared in 1054 AD) and the star cluster known as the Pleiades (a.k.a. the Seven Sisters)		Taurus
Mythical animal represented by the constellation Monoceros		Unicorn
The Plough (commonly known in the USA as the Big Dipper; historically in the UK as Charles's Wain) forms part of		Ursa Major (Great Bear)
Polaris (a.k.a. the North Star or Pole Star) is the brightest star in		Ursa Minor (Little Bear)
Cetus is the Latin name of the constellation known in English as the		Whale

© Haydn Thompson 2017–22