CANOPUS
DISTANCE: 310 ly
APPARENT MAGNITUDE: −0.72 m
SPECTRAL CLASS: F0 la
According to data obtained by the Hipparcos Space Astrometry Mission, Canopus is about 310 light-years away. Spectroscopically, it is an F0 type star, making it significantly hotter than our sun (roughly 13,600 degrees F at its surface, compared to about 10,000 degrees F for the sun). Canopus also has a luminosity class rating of II, which makes it a “bright giant” star much larger than the sun. (Some classifications make it a type Ia “supergiant”.”) Placed side by side, it would take about 65 suns to fit across Canopus. Although Canopus appears significantly less bright than Sirius, it is really much brighter, blazing with the brilliance of 14,000 suns. With non-visible forms of light energy factored in, it surpasses the sun by more than 15,000 times.
DISTANCE: 310 ly
APPARENT MAGNITUDE: −0.72 m
SPECTRAL CLASS: F0 la
According to data obtained by the Hipparcos Space Astrometry Mission, Canopus is about 310 light-years away. Spectroscopically, it is an F0 type star, making it significantly hotter than our sun (roughly 13,600 degrees F at its surface, compared to about 10,000 degrees F for the sun). Canopus also has a luminosity class rating of II, which makes it a “bright giant” star much larger than the sun. (Some classifications make it a type Ia “supergiant”.”) Placed side by side, it would take about 65 suns to fit across Canopus. Although Canopus appears significantly less bright than Sirius, it is really much brighter, blazing with the brilliance of 14,000 suns. With non-visible forms of light energy factored in, it surpasses the sun by more than 15,000 times.
