Arcturus

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This article is about the star. For a musical ensemble, see Arcturus (band).

Template:Starbox begin Template:Starbox image Template:Starbox observe Template:Starbox character Template:Starbox astrometry Template:Starbox detail Template:Starbox catalog Template:Starbox end Arcturus (α Boo / α Boötis / Alpha Boötis) is the brightest star in the constellation Boötes, and the third brightest star in the night sky, with a visual magnitude of −0.05, after Sirius and Canopus (fourth, if the Sun is included). Because Alpha Centauri consists of two bright stars which are closer together than the limit of resolution of the human eye, Alpha Centauri actually appears brighter than Arcturus to the naked eye. It is the second brightest star visible from northern latitudes and the brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere.

It is a type K1.5 IIIpe red giant star — the letters "pe" stand for "peculiar emission," which indicates that the spectrum of light given off by the star is unusual and full of emission lines. This is not too uncommon in red giants, but Arcturus has a particularly strong case of the phenomenon. It is at least 110 times more luminous than the Sun, but this underestimates its strength as much of the "light" it gives off is in the infrared; total power output is about 180 times that of the Sun.

An easy way to find Arcturus is to follow the arc of the handle of the Big Dipper. By continuing in this path, one can find Spica (α Virginis) as well — leading to the coinage of the popular maxim, "Arc to Arcturus, then speed on to Spica."

1 Facts
2 Alternative and former names
3 Cultural significance
4 References
5 External links

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Facts

Arcturus is notable for its high proper motion, larger than any first magnitude star other than nearby α Centauri. It is now at its closest point to the Sun, and is moving rapidly relative to the solar system. Arcturus is thought to be an old disk star, and appears to be moving with a group of 52 other such stars. Its mass is hard to exactly determine, but may be about the same as the Sun, and is no more than 1.5 solar masses. Arcturus is likely to be considerably older than the Sun, and much like what the Sun will be in its red giant phase.

According to the Hipparcos satellite, Arcturus is 36.7 light years (11.3 parsecs) from Earth, relatively close in astronomical terms. From this satellite's observations, Arcturus is now known to be slightly variable, by about 0.04 magnitudes over 8.3 days. It is believed that the surface of the star oscillates slightly, a common feature of red giant stars. In the case of Arcturus, this was an interesting discovery as it is known that the redder (more towards or within the M spectral class) a giant gets, the more variable it will be. Extreme cases like Mira undergo large swings over hundreds of days; Arcturus is not very red and is a borderline case between variability and stability with its short period and tiny range.

Hipparcos also suggested that Arcturus is a binary star, with the companion about twenty times dimmer than the primary and orbiting close enough to be at the very limits of our current ability to make it out. The most recent studies of the issue are generally coming down on the side of it being a single star, however.

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Alternative and former names

The name of the star derives from ancient Greek Αρκτούρος (Arktouros) and means "Bear Guard." This is a reference to it being the brightest star in the constellation Boötes the Hunter (of which it forms the left foot), which is next to the Big and Little Bears, Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.

In Arabic, it is called Haris-el-sema, "the keeper of heaven." This name has been variously romanized in the past, leading to obsolete variants such as Aramec and Azimech.

It corresponds to the Hindu astronomy Nakshatra of Svātī.

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Cultural significance

Prehistoric Polynesian navigators knew Arcturus as Hokule'a, the "Star of Joy." Arcturus is the Zenith Star of the Hawaiian Islands. Using Hokule'a and other stars, the Polynesians launched their double-hulled canoes from Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands. Traveling east and north they eventually crossed the equator and reached the latitude where Arcturus would appear directly overhead in the summer night sky. Knowing they had arrived at the exact latitude of the island chain, they sailed due west on the trade winds until making landfall. If Hokule'a could be kept directly overhead, they landed on the southeastern shores of the Big Island of Hawaii. For a return trip to Tahiti the navigators could use Sirius, the zenith star of that island.

The star achieved fame in 1933 when its light was used to open the World's Fair in Chicago, Illinois. The star was chosen as it was thought that light from Arcturus had started its journey at about the time of the previous Chicago fair in 1893. Technically the star is 36.7 light years away so the light would have started its journey in 1896.

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In fiction

In the fictionalized universe of Marvel comics, the Arcturan system is binary and has at least four planets. It is also an inhabited binary system in the 1920 novel A Voyage to Arcturus, by David Lindsay.

In The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy there are several references to Arcturan species and things, presumably originating on a planet orbiting Arcturus. Examples include "Arcturan Megadonkey" and "Arcturan Megafreighter", see The Ultra-Complete Index for a more extensive list.

Isaac Asimov's The Foundation Series has Arcturus as the capital of the Sirius Sector in the Galactic Empire.

In Stargate Atlantis, Project Arcturus is a failed Ancient power-source project.

Arcturus is also a Korean RPG game created jointly by Gravity Corporation and Sonnori.

David Lindsay has a fantasy or science fiction novel 'A Voyage to Arcturus'.

In the Starcraft series of games, Sons of Korhal leader and later Emperor Arcturus Mengsk is presumably named for this star. There is some ambiguity, however, as the word 'arcturus' occurs in Latin (as the Future Active Participle of the verb 'arcere') and could provide an alternative source for the name.

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In new-age religion

Some New Agers believe in Arcturians, a supposed highly advanced extraterrestrial race.

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In the Bible

In the King James Version of the Bible, Arcturus is mentioned twice in the Book of Job:

"Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south."

Job 9:9

"Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season?

or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?"

Job 38:32

The Hebrew word thus translated is עיש Ash or 'Ayish. Due to the obscurity of ancient terminology, some scholars dispute this identification, instead equating it with Aldebaran, Canopus, Ursa Major, or the Pleiades, among other celestial objects.<ref name=ash>Hirsch, Emil G. (1906). Constellations. In The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnall's. Retrieved July 11, 2005.</ref>

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