The 25 brightest stars
Star
Name
RA
h   m
dec
°   ’
Apparent
magnitude
Spectral type
Parallax
Distance
l.y.
Absolute
magnitude a
 
Sun
26.78
G2V
04.82
Alpha Canis Majoris
Sirius
06  45.2
16  43
 1.44
A1V
0.37921
0008.60
01.45
Alpha Carinae
Canopus
06  24.0
52  42
 0.62
F0II
0.01043
0313
5.53
Alpha Centauri
Rigil Kentaurus
14  39.7
60  50
 0.28b
G2V + K1V
0.74212
0004.39
04.07b
Alpha Bootis
Arcturus
14  15.7
+19  11
 0.05
K1.5III
0.08885
0036.71
0.31
Alpha Lyrae
Vega
18  36.9
+38  47
000.03 (var.)
A0V
0.12892
0025.30
00.58
Alpha Aurigae
Capella
05  16.7
+46  00
000.08
G8III + G0III
0.07729
0042.20
0.48
Beta Orionis
Rigel
05  14.5
08  12
000.18 (var.)
B8Iab
0.00422
0773
6.69
Alpha Canis Minoris
Procyon
07  39.3
+05  14
000.40
F5IV–V
0.28593
0011.41
02.68
Alpha Eridani
Achernar
01  37.7
57  14
000.45
B3Vpe
0.02268
0144
2.77
Alpha Orionis
Betelgeuse
05  55.2
+07  24
000.45 (var.)
M2Iab
0.00763
0427
5.14
Beta Centauri
Hadar
14  03.8
60  22
000.61 (var.)
B1III
0.00621
0525
5.42
Alpha Aquilae
Altair
19  50.8
+08  52
000.76 (var.)
A7V
0.19444
0016.77
02.20
Alpha Crucis
Acrux
12  26.6
63  06
000.77b
B0.5IV + B1V
0.01017
0321
4.19b
Alpha Tauri
Aldebaran
04  35.9
+16  31
000.87
K5III
0.05009
0065.11
0.63
Alpha Virginis
Spica
13  25.2
11  10
000.98 (var.)
B1III–IV + B2V
0.01244
0262
3.55
Alpha Scorpii
Antares
16  29.4
26  26
001.05 (var.)
M1.5Iab–b + B2.5V
0.00540
0604
5.29
Beta Geminorum
Pollux
07  45.3
+28  02
001.16
K0IIIb
0.09674
0033.72
01.09
Alpha Piscis Austrini
Fomalhaut
22  57.6
29  37
001.16
A3V
0.13008
0025.07
01.73
Beta Crucis
Mimosa
12  47.7
59  41
001.25 (var.)
B0.5III
0.00925
0353
3.92
Alpha Cygni
Deneb
20  41.4
+45  17
001.25 (var.)
A2Iae
0.00101
3230
8.73
Alpha Leonis
Regulus
10  08.4
+11  58
001.36
B7V
0.04209
0077.49
0.52
Epsilon Canis Majoris
Adhara
06  58.6
28  58
001.50
B2Iab
0.00757
0431
4.10
Alpha Geminorum
Castor
07  34.6
+31  53
001.58b
A2Vm
0.06327
0051.55
00.59b
Gamma Crucis
Gacrux
12  31.2
57  07
001.59
M3.5III
0.03709
0087.94
0.56
Lambda Scorpii
Shaula
17  33.6
37  06
001.62 (var.)
B2IV + B2V
0.00464
0703
5.05

a Ignoring interstellar absorption
b Combined magnitude of double star. For the individual components of Alpha Cen, see Nearest stars.

Sources: Hipparcos Catalogue; spectral types from the SIMBAD database.



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