Making a Cosmic Connection with Arcturus
You can't miss the twinkly, red-orange gleam of Arcturus at dusk in the western sky. Physically and culturally it's one of the most interesting stars in the sky. DSS2 / Aladin Sky Atlas Look in the western sky as soon as it gets dark, and you'll see a single bright orange star. That's Arcturus , fourth brightest in the night sky. It shines at magnitude 0 and lies 36.7 light years from Earth. Twinkles of its light that enervate your retinas tonight began their journey in 1983 when the world's population was 4.7 billion (it's now 7.8 billion) and before there was an internet. Arcturus is the brightest star in Boötes the Herdsman. If you have any trouble finding it just follow the arc of the Dipper's handle. Stellarium Arcturus is a red giant star about 25 times the size of the sun. If Arcturus took over our star's job at the center of our solar system it would span more than a dozen degrees, larger than the bowl of the Big Dipper. Although its surface te