78 FAQs about Specific Stars (The Astronomy Cafe)

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 Back to the Astronomy Cafe - 365 of the most popular questions since 1996. Over 1 million page requests!

Beginner:

  1. Are any stars about to become supernovae?
  2. What is the present speed, direction and distance to Barnard's Star?
  3. What is the true shape of a 'ring nebula'?
  4. How often do supernova happen in the universe?
  5. Is there anything unusual about the stars in Orion's Belt that would have attracted the attention of the ancient Egyptians?
  6. How far away is the star Betelgeuse in Orion?
  7. What would we hear in the news media if Betelgeuse went supernova tonight?
  8. Which star is called 'The Wanderer'?
  9. Does the Nemesis Star really exist?
  10. Which constellation is the most compact in space?
  11. Where can I get a photograph of a specific star in the sky whose coordinates I know?
  12. What are the nearest stars to the Sun?
  13. What would happen if Betelgeuse went supernova?
  14. What is Eta Carina?
  15. What is the end stage of a white dwarf?
  16. Have very cold white dwarfs ever been found?
  17. What do astronomers think the Star of Bethlehem was?
  18. What is the farthest star we know about?
  19. What is the largest star known to astronomers?
  20. What is the 'day star' or the 'morning star' that is mentioned in the Bible?
  21. Can you tell me a little bit about the Pleiades?
  22. How far away is Proxima Centauri?
  23. How many supernova have been found so far?
  24. Who is studying Barnard's Star these days?
  25. How much power on the Earth do we receive from the star Sirius?
  26. Where can I find information about Zeta Recticuli 1 and 2?
  27. Was Sirius ever a red star?
  28. Why do we call Sirius the Dog Star and not Procyon?
  29. Do you have any information on the North Star?
  30. How long does it take for light to get from Alpha Centauri to Earth?
  31. Is Polaris exactly at the North Pole, and if not, what star is?
  32. How far away is 61 Ursa Majoris, the home star of the 'Kzinti'?
  33. Is Sirius a star or a star system?
  34. What are the three largest stars in our galaxy?
  35. How far away is Rigel?
  36. Is Beta Lyra really seen as a green star?
  37. What do carbon stars such as Stein 2051B look like?
  38. What are some of the myths about the star Sirius?
  39. Is there any rogue star that will eventually end life on the Earth?
  40. Can you tell me more about the Death Star called Nemesis?
  41. How far is Proxima Centauri from Alpha Centauri?
  42. What is the least massive star known to astronomers?
  43. Without time lapse photography, how was it discovered that Polaris is the Pole Star?
  44. Is the pulse from a pulsar visible to the naked eye?
  45. How fast do stars of different types spin?
  46. Who was it that named Bellatrix the 'Amazon Star'?
  47. Why is Rigel called the 'beta star' in Orion and not Betelgeuse which is fainter?
  48. What will happen when Alpha Centauri dies?
  49. How big is Proxima Centauri?
  50. What would it be like if Deneb were as far as Alpha Centauri?
  51. How close are Mizar and Alcor from each other?
  52. How bright will Betelgeuse become when it goes supernova?
  53. Are there stars called Novi, Regor and Dnoces?
  54. Will Sirius B ever become a supernova?
  55. What will the Orion Nebula look like after all the gas is used up?
  56. What will Eta Carina become when it goes supernova?
  57. If Betelgeuse blew up, what would we see?
  58. How fast do pulsars spin?
  59. Can you name any supernova 15,000 years old?
  60. Are there any close stars that could go supernova and wipe out life on the Earth?
  61. How far away are Mu Cephi and VV Cephi, and what are their other stats?
  62. Can you say anything about the North Star for a 3rd Grade student?
  63. What is the surface temperature of a pulsar?

Intermediate:

  1. How close can we be to a supernova without getting damaged?
  2. Why will Supernova 1987A become 1000 times brighter around the year 2007?
  3. Would neutron star matter be stable if you took it out of a neutron star?
  4. What are the minimum and maximum masses of neutron stars and white dwarfs?
  5. Does the Scorpius X-1 neutron star pulse?
  6. Do the X-rays detected from the star Betelgeuse mean it will become a supernova anytime soon?
  7. How can a binary star like Sirius have a companion star with such a vastly different age?
  8. How do pulsars work?
  9. What is the difference between a pulsar and a neutron star?
  10. What is the difference between a white dwarf and a brown dwarf star?
  11. What are Quark Stars?
  12. What are the differences between supernova types 1a, 1b, 1c and 2?
  13. What is the difference between a Type I supernova and a nova which are both in binary star systems?

Advanced:

  1. What atomic arrangement do you find inside a normal star, a white dwarf and a neutron star?
  2. If neutrons have no magnetic polarity, why do neutron stars have such strong magnetic fields?
  3. What are Quark Stars?

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