 | This article'sfactual accuracy may be compromised due to out-of-date information. The reason given is:The results were produced before the new reduction ofHipparcos data (van Leeuwen, 2007) and theGaia mission. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(December 2017) |
TheSolar System and all of the visible stars are in different orbits about the core of theMilky Way galaxy. Thus, their relative positions change over time, and for the nearer stars this movement can be measured. As astar moves toward or away from us, itsapparent brightness changes.Sirius is currently the brightest star in Earth's night sky, but it has not always been so.Canopus has persistently been the brightest star over the ages; other stars appear brighter only during relatively temporary periods, during which they are passing the Solar System at a much closer distance thanCanopus.
Working out exactly which stars were or will be the brightest at any given point in the past or future is difficult since it requires precise 3D proper motions of large numbers of stars and precise distances, as well as stellar evolution (for massive stars).[1] This information only started to become available with the 1997Hipparcos satellite data release.[1] Jocelyn Tomkin used this data to compile a list of brightest stars in Earth's night sky at each period within the last or next 5 million years.[1] Re-analysis of the Hipparcos data and new data from theGaia spacecraft reveal omissions and revisions necessary in the list. For example, it omitsGliese 710 which in about 1.35 million years is expected to be close enough to have a magnitude of −2.7,[2] as confirmed by theGaia spacecraft.[3][4]
| Star | Start year | End year | Maximum year | Maximum magnitude | Distance at maximum magnitude (ly) | Current distance | Current magnitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Epsilon Canis Majoris[a] | ... | −4,460,000 | −4,700,000 | −3.99 | 34 | 430 | 1.50 |
| Beta Canis Majoris[b] | −4,460,000 | −3,700,000 | −4,420,000 | −3.65 | 37 | 500 | 1.99 |
| Canopus (first time) | −3,700,000 | −1,370,000 | −3,110,000 | −1.86 | 177 | 310 | −0.72 |
| Zeta Leporis | −1,080,000 | −950,000 | −1,050,000 | −2.05 | 5.3 | 70 | 3.55 |
| Canopus (second time) | −950,000 | −420,000 | −950,000 | −1.09[c] | 252 | 310 | −0.72 |
| Aldebaran | −420,000 | −210,000 | −320,000 | −1.54 | 21.5 | 65 | 0.85 |
| Capella | −210,000 | −160,000 | −240,000 | −0.82[d] | 27.9 | 42.2 | 0.08 |
| Canopus (third time) | −160,000 | −90,000 | −160,000 | −0.70[c] | 302 | 310 | −0.72 |
| Sirius (current) | −90,000 | +210,000 | +60,000 | −1.68 | 7.8 | 8.6 | −1.46 |
| Vega | +210,000 | +480,000 | +290,000 | −0.81 | 17.2 | 25.04 | 0.03 |
| Canopus (fourth time) | +480,000 | +990,000 | +480,000 | −0.40[c] | 346 | 310 | −0.72 |
| Beta Aurigae | +990,000 | +1,150,000 | +1,190,000 | −0.40[d] | 28.5 | 82.1 | 1.9 |
| Delta Scuti | +1,150,000 | +1,260,000 | +1,250,000 | −1.84 | 9.2 | 187 | 4.72 |
| Gliese 710 | +1,260,000 | +1,460,000 | +1,300,000 | −2.7 | 0.16 | 62 | 9.66 |
| Gamma Draconis | +1,460,000 | +2,030,000 | +1,550,000 | −1.39 | 27.7 | 154 | 2.36 |
| Upsilon Librae | +2,030,000 | +2,670,000 | +2,290,000 | −0.46 | 30 | 195 | 3.6 |
| NR Canis Majoris | +2,670,000 | +3,050,000 | +2,870,000 | −0.88 | 14 | 280 | 5.6 |
| Omicron Herculis | +3,050,000 | +3,870,000 | +3,470,000 | −0.63 | 44 | 346 | 3.83 |
| Albireo | +3,870,000 | ... | +4,610,000 | −0.52 | 80 | 390 | 3.18 |
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