The Brightest Star in the Sky: Revealing the Absolute Brightness

Which of the following stars is the brightest?

Sun

Rigel

Pollux

Procyon B

Final Answer:

The Sun appears as the brightest star from our perspective on Earth, but in terms of absolute brightness across the universe, Rigel significantly outshines the Sun, Pollux, and Procyon B.

Explanation:

When comparing the brightness of different stars such as Sun, Rigel, Pollux, and Procyon B, it's vital to distinguish between apparent brightness and absolute brightness. The Sun is the brightest star in our sky due to its proximity to Earth.

Rigel, also known as Beta Orionis, is a giant blue star that is part of the Orion constellation and is much brighter than Procyon B, Pollux, and even our Sun in terms of absolute magnitude. This is despite the fact that Procyon is one of the six brightest stars within 26 light-years of our Sun. Yet, it is outshined by Rigel's immense luminosity.

Pollux, meanwhile, is part of the constellation Gemini and is less bright than Rigel. Lastly, Procyon B, a white dwarf star companion to Procyon, which is part of a binary star system, is much dimmer than Rigel or Pollux.

In essence, although the Sun is the brightest star from our perspective on Earth, Rigel is far brighter than the Sun, Pollux, or Procyon B in terms of absolute brightness from a stellar census standpoint.