VY Ursae Majoris (VY UMa) is a red hypergiant and popular carbon star located in the constellation Ursa Major. Best viewed in the springtime.
Category Archives: Notable Stars
The Sun: Our Powerhouse
Our Sun, situated at the center of our solar system, serves as the gravitational anchor around which Earth and other celestial bodies revolve. Right now it is experiencing great solar activity.
VY Ursae Majoris: A Beautiful Carbon Star in Ursa Major
VY Ursae Majoris (VY UMa) is a red hypergiant and popular carbon star located in the constellation Ursa Major. Best viewed in the springtime.
SS Virginis: An Orange-Red Variable and Carbon Star in Virgo
SS Virginis (SS Vir) is a Mira variable and carbon star located in the constellation Virgo, best viewed in springtime. It pulsated over a period of 361 days.
Delta Cephei: Astronomy’s Royal Gem Fit for a King
The variable star Delta Cephei lies in the constellation Cepheus and is a one of the most important and historical stars in astronomy. Delta Cep makes the basis for all Cepheids, which Henrietta Leavitt discoveed that their luminosities are directly related to their periods of pulsation. This led to our being able to measure greater distances starting when Edwin Hubble uncovered the distance to the Andromeda Galaxy after finding a Cepheid in the galaxy.
Zeta Cephei: Warm Red Supergiant in Cepheus
Zeta Cephei is a red-orange supergiant star in the constellation of Cepheus.
RS Ophiuchi: Star Erupts in the Summer Sky
Recurrent novae are rare. Luckily, we have RS Ophiuchi erupting every 20 years or so to remind us how special these stars are in the universe. In August 2021, the star erupted for the world, and me, to see.
Barnard’s Star: Chasing the Red Dwarf Through Ophiuchus
Barnard’s Star, located under six light-years away in Ophiuchus, is a red dwarf with a surface temperature of 3,200 K and extraordinary proper motion, moving over 10 arcseconds per year. Discovered to host four exoplanets, it fascinates astronomers as a rare opportunity to observe significant stellar movement within a human lifetime. Article shows a photograph of it in 2019 amongst the stars. The star is also known as Runaway Star, HIP 87937, LFT 1385, Proxima Ophiuchi, V2500 Ophiuchi.
The Garden Astronomer 