Canopus
The second-brightest star in the night sky.
Canopus is the brightest star in Carina and the second-brightest in the night sky, with an apparent magnitude of -0.74. It is a bright giant of spectral type A9, over 10,000 times as luminous as the Sun and 71 times its radius.
Its name likely comes from the mythological navigator of Menelaus, and many ancient cultures gave it names.
Quick Facts
- Type
- Bright giant
- Constellation
- Carina
- Apparent magnitude
- -0.74
- Spectral type
- A9
More in Stellar Entities & Systems
Elsewhere in Cosmos Codex
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