| SIRIAN STARS | SOLAR STARS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Procyon | 25 | Aldebaran | 70 | |
| Altair | 25 | Pollux | 170 | |
| Sirius | 40 | Polaris | 190 | |
| Regulus | 110 | Capella | 220 | |
| Vega | 2050 | Arcturus | 6200 | |
The total light of the stars is estimated as equal to 180 of that of the full moon.
| Distance in Light Years according to | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Star Name | Magnitude | Todd | Russell | Gore | Yale Univ. | Young | Newcomb |
| Sirius | -1.6 | 8.5 | 8.6 | 9 | 8.6 | 8 | |
| τ Ceti | 3.6 | 9.7 | 10.2 | 10 | |||
| Procyon | 0.5 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 9.8 | 10.9 | 10 |
| 61 Cygni | 5.6 | 7.2 | 11.1 | 8 | 7.3 | ||
| Altair | 0.8 | 16 | 14 | 14.1 | 13.6 | 14 | |
| Vega | 0.1 | 27 | 40 | 21.7 | 29 | ||
| Aldebaran | 1.0 | 32 | 32 | 28 | 29.6 | 29 | |
| Capella | 0.2 | 32 | 40 | 34 | 36 | ||
| Polaris | 2.1 | 47 | 46 | 44 | 54 | ||
| Arcturus | 0.2 | 160 | 160 | 108 | |||
| β Cassiopeiæ | 2.4 | 032 | 21 | ||||
Of the fainter stars in the northern hemisphere the 7.4 magnitude star Lalande 21185 is probably the nearest star to the earth. The average distance as estimated by different authorities is 7.3 light years.
The distance of the first magnitude star α Centauri in the southern hemisphere, probably the nearest star to the earth, is given by all authorities as 4.3 light years. This distance is better realised if we adopt Prof. Young's comparison: If the distance from the earth to the sun were 215 ft. the distance from the earth to α Centauri would be 8000 miles.
On the scale measured at Yale University the mean distance of stars of the first magnitude is 36.5 light years, second magnitude stars 58 light years, and those of the third magnitude 92 light years.
- ↑ From calculations made by Mauder.
