Polaris

Regulus

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alpha leonis,brightest star in leo

Regulus, also known as Alpha Leonis, is the brightest star in the constellation Leo and the 21st brightest star in the night sky. It has an apparent magnitude of 1.35 and lies at a distance of 79.3 light years, or 24.3 parsecs, from Earth. Alpha Leonis is not really a single star, but a multiple star system.

The name Regulus means the “little king“ or “prince“ in Latin and the star is also known as Basiliskos, Cor Leonis (Lion’s Heart), Qalb al-Asad and Rex.
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Ursids

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ursid meteor shower,ursids radiant,little dipper,kochab

The Ursids, or Ursid meteor shower, are an annual meteor shower that coincides with the winter solstice.

The Ursids occur from December 17 to 25 and peak just before Christmas, around December 22, with a zenithal hourly rate of 10 meteors per hour. The meteor shower was named for its radiant point, or apparent point of origin, which lies in the direction of the bright star Kochab in Ursa Minor.
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Canopus

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canopus star,alpha carinae,second brightest star

Canopus, Alpha Carinae, is the brightest star in Carina constellation and the second brightest star in the night sky.

Canopus is fainter only than Sirius. The star is a supergiant or bright giant, yellowish-white in colour, with an apparent magnitude of -0.72. It is located at a distance of 310 light years from Earth. It lies too far south and can’t be seen north of latitude 37°18’N, but it is circumpolar for observers south of latitude 37°18’S.

For northern observers, Canopus doesn’t rise very high in the sky. The name Canopus comes from the Greek name Κάνωβος (Kanôbos), first recorded in Ptolemy’s Almagest (150 AD).
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Capella

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Capella, also known as Alpha Aurigae or the Goat Star, is the brightest star in Auriga and the sixth brightest star in the sky.

The only stars in the northern celestial hemisphere brighter than Capella are Arcturus in Boötes constellation and Vega in Lyra. The only other star visible from northern latitudes that is brighter than Capella is Sirius in the southern constellation Canis Major.

Capella is sometimes called the Goat Star because its name is derived from the diminutive of the Latin capra, meaning “female goat,” and means “the little goat.”
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Northern Cross

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northern cross stars,northern cross constellation

The Northern Cross is a prominent asterism formed by the brightest stars in the constellation Cygnus. The constellation is often confused for the asterism because the Northern Cross is much easier to find than the entire constellation.
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