Stars · Red giant
Arcturus
37 light-years · Light crosses it in 2 minutes
- Across
- 35.3 million km
- Vs Earth
- 25× Sun
- Mass
- 1.08 Suns
About
Arcturus is an ageing orange giant and the brightest star in the northern half of the sky. It belongs to an older population of stars that orbits the galaxy at a steep angle to the disk, so it is only passing through our neighbourhood.
What our Sun will look like in about five billion years.
At a glance
| Distance | 37 light-years |
|---|---|
| Surface | 4,286 K |
| Brightness | 170 Suns |
| Age | About 7 billion years |
Did you know
- Its light was used to open the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, focused onto a photocell to throw a switch.
- It is moving so fast relative to us that it will drift noticeably within half a million years.
- It shows what the Sun will look like in about five billion years.
Simulations
- The Sun's death — How the Sun will swell into a red giant, then fade into a white dwarf