Stars were always attractive to humans. Once upon a time in ancient times they were an object of worship. And modern researchers based on the study of these celestial bodies were able to predict how the universe will exist in the future. Stars attract a person with their beauty, mystery.
Nearest star
A large number of interesting facts about the stars have already been collected. Perhaps every reader will be curious to know that the sun is the closest celestial body of this category in relation to the Earth. The star is 150 million km away from us. The sun is classified by astronomers as a yellow dwarf, by scientific standards it is a medium-sized star. Scientists suggest that solar fuel will last another 7 billion years. But when it ends, our star will quickly turn into a red giant. The size of the sun will be increased many times. It will absorb the nearest planets - Venus, Mercury, and possibly the Earth.
The formation of the stars
Another interesting fact about stars is that all luminaries have the same chemical composition. All stars contain the same substances that make up the entire universe. To a large extent they are created from the same material. For example, the Sun is 70% hydrogen and 29% helium. The question of the composition of the stars is closely related to how stars are born. As a rule, the process of star appearance begins in a gas cloud consisting of cold molecular hydrogen.
Gradually, it begins to shrink more and more. When the compression occurs in parts, fragmented, stars form from these pieces. The material becomes denser more and more, gathering in a ball. At the same time, it continues to shrink, because the forces of its own gravity act on it. This process occurs until the temperature in the center becomes capable of starting the nuclear fusion process. The source gas of which all the stars are composed was originally formed during the Big Bang. 74% is hydrogen, and 29% is helium.
The influence of opposing forces in the stars
We examined how stars are born, but the laws that govern their lives are no less interesting. Each of the luminaries seems to be in conflict with itself. On the one hand, they possess gigantic masses, as a result of which the star constantly contracts under the force of gravity. On the other hand, inside the luminary there is a hot gas, which exerts tremendous pressure. Nuclear fusion processes generate tremendous amounts of energy. Before reaching the surface of a star, photons must pass through all its layers - sometimes this process takes up to 100 thousand years.
Those who want to know everything about the stars will surely be interested in what happens to the star during his life. When it becomes brighter, it gradually turns into a red giant. When the processes of nuclear fusion inside the luminary cease, then nothing can hold back the pressure of those layers of gas that are closer to the surface. A star collapses, transforms into a white dwarf or black hole. It is possible that those luminaries that we have the opportunity to observe in the night sky have long ceased to exist. After all, they are located very far from us, and for light to reach the Earth, it takes billions of years.
Biggest star
Many interesting facts about the stars can be found by studying the mysterious world of the universe. Looking at the night sky, strewn with bright lights, it is easy to feel tiny. The largest star is in the constellation Shield. She is called UY Shield. From the very moment of its discovery, it is considered the largest, surpassing such giants as Betelgeuse, VY Big Dog. Its radius is 1,700 times the size of the sun and is 1,321,450,000 miles.
If you put this luminary instead of the Sun, then the first thing it does is destroy the five nearest planets and go beyond the orbit of Jupiter. This fact can be put in one's piggy bank of knowledge by anyone who would like to know everything about the stars. There are astronomers who believe that UY Shield could even get to Saturn. One can only be glad that it is located at a distance of 9500 light years from the solar system.
Binary star systems
The luminaries in the sky form different clusters among themselves. They can be thick or, conversely, scattered. One of the first achievements in astronomy that occurred after the invention of astronomical binoculars was the discovery of double stars. It turns out that luminaries, like people, prefer to form pairs between themselves. The first of these duets was a pair of Mizars in the constellation Ursa Major. The discovery belongs to the Italian astronomer Richolly. In 1804, astronomer W. Herschel compiled a catalog describing 700 double stars. It is believed that most of these bodies are located in the Milky Way galaxy.
Those wishing to learn all about the stars may be interested in the definition of a double star. In fact, these are two bodies that circulate in the same orbit. They have one center of mass, and these stars are interconnected by gravitational forces. Interestingly, in addition to doubles, in the Universe there are systems of three, four, five and even six members. The latter are very rare. An example is Castor, the main Gemini star. It consists of 6 objects. The double satellite orbits around a pair of luminaries, which are also paired.
Why you need to group the stars in the constellations
We continue to consider the most interesting facts about the stars. The entire map of the starry sky is divided into special sections. They are called constellations. In ancient times, people called constellations by the names of animals - for example, Leo, Pisces, Snake. The names of various mythological heroes (Orion) were also common. Currently, astronomers also use these names in order to designate one of the 88 sections of the vast sky.
Constellations and stars in the sky are needed in order to facilitate the search for various objects. Also, on the maps of the constellations, the ecliptic is usually indicated - a dashed line that indicates the trajectory of the sun. The 12 constellations that are located along this line are called the Zodiac.
Closest Star to Solar System
The nearest star is Alpha Centauri. This star is very bright, it is similar to our Sun. It is slightly inferior in size to it, and its light has a slightly orange tint. This is due to the fact that the temperature on its surface is slightly lower - about 4800 , while the temperature of our star reaches 5800 .
Other neighbors
Another neighbor of ours is a star called Barnard. It was named after the astronomer Edward Barnard, who was rumored to be the most keen observer on earth. This modest luminary is in the constellation Ophiuchus. According to the classification, this star is a red dwarf, one of the most common types of stars in space. Not far from the Earth there are also many red dwarfs, for example, Laland 21 185, as well as UV Ceti.
Another star is located near the solar system - Wolf 359. It is located in the constellation Leo, scientists attribute it to the red giants. Not far from the Sun is also located bright Sirius, which is sometimes called the "Dog Star" (it is located in the constellation Canis Major). In 1862, astronomers discovered that Sirius is a double star. Stars Sirius A and Sirius B rotate relative to each other with a period of 50 years. The average distance between the luminaries is approximately 20 times greater than the distance from the Earth to the Sun.