Bananas for Scale
Arcturus

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Arcturus

The brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere/Stars

Arcturus is a red giant in the constellation Bootes and the brightest star in the northern sky. It is about 25 times the diameter of the Sun but only slightly more massive, having puffed up as it aged. Arcturus is barreling through space at an unusual angle to most nearby stars, suggesting it may be an interloper from another part of the galaxy entirely.

Measurements

Mass2.2 nonillion kg
81.1 octillionDalmatian dogs
626 septillionForklifts
6.1 quintillionMount Everest masses

About 1.08 solar masses

Diameter35.4 billion m
142 billionUncooked spaghetti noodles
656 billionGolf tees
16.9 billionSurfboards

About 25.4 solar diameters

Distance from Earth341 quadrillion m
142 octillionElectron wavelengths
9.7 quintillionWalnut diameters

About 36.7 light-years

Surface temperature4,286 K
12.1Fresh bread loaves
15.5Refrigerators
13Clothes dryer temps
Luminosity67 octillion W
134 septillionGaming PCs
122 septillionGarage door openers

About 170 solar luminosities

Space velocity122,000 m/s
124SR-71 Blackbirds
20,333Sailing boats
369,697Crawling babies

122 km/s relative to the Sun

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