A star called Sirius is considered 25 times lighter than the Sun. But even so, it is not a record all over the world.
It is worth noting that Sirius is 8.6 light years distant from other planets of the solar system (light year is a special unit of measurement that was created in astronomy).
It is known that for the first time it was discovered by a man named Alvan Clark. This event happened in 1862. Initially 2 stars were discovered. One was named Sirius A, and the other Sirius B. Visible of them was only one, the first, and the second was a dwarf. But interesting is the fact that Sirius B was previously much larger and more massive. In this regard, there are many proven theories that scientists have repeatedly confirmed.
We bring to your attention a list of 10 interesting facts about the star Sirius: origin, location in the sky, neighboring constellations and much more.
10. The brightest star in the night sky
It has long been known that Sirius is the brightest star. This is due to the reason that it is quite close to the sun. The closer she gets closer to him, the stronger her brightness. For some time this ratio is constantly changing.
As soon as Sirius approaches the Sun, it will be so bright for sixty thousand years. That is how she will be the most unusually brightest star in the night sky.
It is worth noting that earlier the star Sirius consisted of 2 unusually bluish stars. Both were very bright and shiny. After Sirius B used up all his strength and became a red giant. In this state, he did not stay long, then exploded and turned into a "white dwarf". According to estimates, such an event occurred about one hundred and twenty million years ago.
9. Can be observed from anywhere in the world
A star is visible from anywhere in the world, wherever you are. In fact, this is amazing. Only in some northern cities can it be seen just above the former. For example, in St. Petersburg you can only see it at 13.
In some places it is possible to see it only in the evening, but not at night. This applies more to the southern hemisphere of the Earth. Many scientists claim that due to the procession, the star is now moving further south. And soon Sirius will not be visible at all in Northern and Central Europe. So many scientists believe. But it has not yet been proven.
It is also worth noting that the star can be seen even in the afternoon. But not everyone can do it. This is only possible under the right conditions. The sky at such a moment should be perfectly clear without clouds. Observation is necessary only from a great height. But, in any case, this is only possible in the southern hemisphere.
8. The age of the star is approximately 230 million years.
As a result of many studies, it has been proven that Sirius is about 230 million years old. The exact time period is still not known.
But many estimates still range from 200 to 300 million years. Currently, the mass of Sirius A is several times larger than the Sun, and Sirius B is slightly less.
7. Star - the heavenly embodiment of Isis
A very long time ago, many cultures of antiquity attached this star a special importance. Residents of one of the valleys that ran along the Nile River, well-known to everyone, worshiped her as a goddess, or rather the heavenly incarnation of Isis herself.
It is worth noting that Sirius depicts a goddess who stands in a boat in the sky, and above her head there is a star with five ends. She stands a little to the right of Osiris.
Sometimes Sirius is compared with the goddess Hathor. She is depicted as a cow, in which a star can be seen between the horns. Many Egyptian priests calculated on Sirius the beginning of the flood of the Nile River.
6. Connection with the god Ninurta
Some considered Sirius to be a god called Ninurta, and they called it simply “Arrow”. In the inscriptions it was indicated that she was a fiery star, which appears in the days of severe cold and frost.
5. The names of Sirius in the mythologies of different countries
Also in ancient times Sirius was sometimes called the head of the dog. From Greek, the name of the star is translated as "bright and brilliant". It is worth noting that the star Procyon was also called a dog star. They are almost next to each other.
In the mythology of the Greek peoples, Sirius was a dog that was called Orion or simply Ikaria. Homer, in the Iliad, called her “Dog Orion". Many Greeks claimed that they associate the star with intense heat in the summer. Its name simply comes from the phrase "hot day».
Once, a Greek poet named Arata referred to this star as dazzlingly bright with an unusual brilliance. This event took place in the 3rd century BC. Latin Sirius means "a little dog", Which is why very often in many nations it was called that.
4. The closest star neighbor is Procyon
Star called Procyon is one of the brightest stars in our sky. It is considered one of the most recognizable, as it is close to the star Sirius. Also, its neighbors can be called the star Adhara, Rigel, Alnilam and many others.
The fact that the star Procyon exists in the sky was even predicted. A scientist named Friedrich Bessel first suggested that she has an invisible satellite. He noticed that Sirius, like Procyon, has a gravitational attraction in the form of dark satellites. It was his discovery that led to what they learned about the existence of Procyon B and Sirius B.
The stars Sirius and Procyon enter the winter triangle, which can be seen from everywhere.
3. He was considered one of the stars of the Ursa Major moving group, but it turned out that he was much younger
Previously, Sirius was considered among the moving stars of Ursa Major. In this group, there are about 220 stars that are united by the same age and similarity of movement.
Initially, such a cluster was very dispersed and incomprehensible, but at present it practically does not exist, since it has broken up.
Thanks to this, scientists summed up such a result that Sirius is much younger in age than this entire cluster. And even more so, it cannot be its direct representative. This is now a proven fact.
2. Sirius has no exoplanets detected
An exoplanet is a planet that is outside our solar system. For a very long time other planets could not find near the stars, this task remained completely unresolved. This happened because they were very small or dull.
Exoplanets were first discovered in the 1980s. But now they are discovered by the scientific method. In 2019, 4,133 exoplanets in 3,073 planetary systems were discovered and proved to exist.
Nowadays, one thing is certain. Scientists around the world have discovered that the star Sirius has no exoplanets at all. But even if there is, then quite a bit of time has passed since the moment it was formed.
It is worth noting that when Sirius B was a red giant, then all the planets that were nearby were burned out. That is why the chances of finding exoplanets near Sirius are very small. But it is worth saying that everything can be. Scientists are studying such moments so far.
1. Is one of the stars closest to the Sun
Currently Sirius is considered one of the closest stars to the sun.. This is if you pay attention to celestial bodies that can be seen without using any technique. It has 8.6 light years. It is this star that is ahead of even the Sun not only in mass but also in size.