Star Points for May 2010 by Curtis Roelle Light-Years and Television Waves When you step outside and look up one of the most obvious things you'll notice is some stars are brighter than others. But are they bright because they are closer than the other fainter stars, or are they intrinsically bright? The answer is, both are correct. Some close stars appear bright because they are closer to us while other, distant stars, are so bright they outshine the nearer ones. Star brightness is measured by magnitude. The lower the number the brighter the star. Magnitude 0 is brighter than magnitude 2. Magnitude –1 is brighter than magnitude 0. This month we're taking a look the 10 closest bright naked eye stars as listed in "The Astronomical Companion" by Guy Ottewell. Stellar distances are given in light-years (l-y), or the physical distance light travels in one year -- about six trillion miles! Light travels at the same speed as radio and television signals. For fun we'll use another distance measure to add a time dimension. If we were to be located on the star tonight, what earthly primetime television programs would be just reaching us now? Television programming information presented here is from Wikipedia. Here are the ten closest, brightest stars, ordered by increasing distance: 1. The Sun is the only star in our list not measured in light years. The sun is eight light minutes away. So the light you see left the sun eight minutes ago – while you were walking down to pick up the paper, or pouring another cup of coffee. 2. Alpha Centauri, mag. –0.29, 4.3 l-y. The only star in this list not visible from Maryland. Television viewers here tonight are being treated to the January 2006 debut of the BBC's "Life on Mars" Series. If only they had a 4.3 l-y long cable they could catch the debut of HBO's "Big Love." 3. Sirius (Alpha Canis Majoris), mag. –1.46, 8.6 l-y. In our sky, second in brightness only to our own sun. Its location in the constellation Canis Major, the greater dog, is how "the dog star" got its nickname. Tonight's TV lineup includes the premier episodes of NBC's "Scrubs" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," which both debuted in late 2001. 4. Procyon (Alpha Canis Minoris), mag. 0.37, 11.4 l-y. Yes, this the other dog star, in Canis Minor, the lesser dog. 1999 was the year for cartoon series on the FOX network with debuts of "The Family Guy" and "Futurama." 5. Altair, mag. 0.76, 16.6 l-y. If they don't watch television tonight they may miss the final episode of "Cheers" after 11 seasons, or the 24th and final season of "Hee Haw." Altair is located in the constellation Aquila the Eagle. 6. Fomalhaut, mag. 1.2, 23 l-y. Tonight on the little screen in the constellation Piscis Austrinus (the southern fish), Johnny Depp's acting career gets jump started in the 1987 premier of "21 Jump Street" and the "A-Team" cuts the jibba jabba with its final episode. 7. Vega, mag. 0.04, 26-y. Tonight in Lyra the lyre, there are no more planes, boss, as the sun sets on "Fantasy Island's" six season career in 1984. Tired of being tricked out of his carrots and dodging ping-pong ball storms since 1955, "Captain Kangaroo" locks the Treasure House doors for good. 8. Arcturus, mag. –0.06, 35 l-y. Susan Stafford gave the "Wheel of Fortune" it's first spin on NBC. Comedian George Carlin hosted the debut episode of "NBC's Saturday Night" in 1975, later renamed "Saturday Night Live." 9. Pollux, mag. 1.2, 35.4 l-y. "Happy Days" premiers on ABC in 1974. 1960s television anthology "Love American Style" ends after five years. Other shows turning off the lights included "The F.B.I.," in which the names were always changed, and "The Newlywed Game," whose contestants threw out their last big kiss. Pollux and Castor mark the twins in Gemini. 10. Capella, mag. 0.08, 46 l-y. 1964 must have been a golden year in TV. ABC premiers "Peyton Place," "Bewitched," and "The Addams Family." NBC premiers "the Man from U.N.C.L.E." and CBS introduces "Gilligan's Island." Lucky viewers in the constellation Auriga are no longer stuck in "The Twilight Zone" as its final episode airs.