h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi,

Great article, but Arcturus is not the brightest star in the northern hemisphere. The brightest star is Sirius in the constellation of Canis Major (Big Dog) at a magnitude of -1.46 whereas Arcturus is number 4 with a magnitude of -0.04.

Regards
Cenk

Hi Cenkozkan,

Thanks for you message. You are right that Sirius is the brightest star in the sky (I've got a great view of it right now as it happens), however it technically is a Southern Hemisphere star, in that it is 16 degrees below the celestial equator. I understand how the confusion could arise, in that most Northern Hemisphere observers can see Sirius: so I hope this clarifies things somewhat.

Woodpigeon

Might it be worth rewording this somewhat?

the brightest star in the Northern Hemisphere -->
the brightest star in the Northern Hemisphere of the skyUnless you are at the North Pole, you will be able to see some of the sky's Southern Hemisphere. Sirius, in the Southern Hemisphere of the sky, is the brightest star and is visible to most people living in the Earth's Northern Hemisphere.

Or does that just make it more confusing?