giant · K1.5III
Arcturus
Arcturus is a orange giant (spectral type K1.5III) about 37 light-years away. With an apparent magnitude of -0.05 it is one of the brightest stars in the whole sky.
The brightest star of the northern sky, an old orange giant.
Its light output is roughly 120 times that of the Sun (a rough estimate in visible light, calculated from brightness and distance).
From Germany (52° N) it rises and sets; it is best seen in the evening in April.
Key facts
- Distance
- ≈ 37 light-years
- Spectral type
- K1.5III (giant)
- Colour
- Orange
- Apparent magnitude
- -0.05 mag
- Luminosity
- ≈ 120 × Sun
- Position
- Right ascension 14h 16m, declination 19.2°
More well-known stars
Data: Hipparcos / HYG catalogue (CC BY-SA 4.0). Luminosity and visibility are calculated estimates.