There are many super bright stars near Earth and in our galaxy, the Milky Way. In fact here are the 10 brightest stars in our neck of the galactic woods!

10. Betelgeuse

At 430 light years away, this star is still bright in the sky, meaning that it's super bright up close. This makes perfect sense considering the fact that Betelgeuse is a Supergiant. This mega bright star produces as much light as 55,000 suns! It was also the first star to have its surface imaged, thanks to the Hubble Telescope in 1996.

9. Archernar

Archernar is the hottest star in our top ten, measuring in at 24,740 to 33,740 degrees Fahrenheit. This star can be up to 5,400 times brighter than our own sun and because it is 144 light years away, its light takes 144 years to be seen on Earth. As it burns its hydrogen into helium, Archernar will eventually become a white dwarf.

8. Procyon

This star is double the size and seven times the brightness of our sun. Residing in the constellation Canis Minor (Little Dog), this star is actually less bright than many of the stars on this list. Yet, it is very close to Earth, about 11.4 light years away, making it appear much brighter than those farther out in space. Procyon is starting to die and is converting its hydrogen into helium and is currently one of the largest stars within 20 light years of Earth.

7. Rigel

This star is in the constellation of Orion; Rigel marks the heel of the hunter Orion and means "foot" in Arabic. A blue super giant, Rigel shines 40,000 times brighter than our sun! Even though its 775 light years away, it's still a bright spot in the night sky.

6. Capella

Capella is a star system comprised of two giant yellow stars and two red dwarf stars. Combined, these stars are brighter than 130 suns. At 42 light years away, the star system is very visible in the night sky. These stars are also in the process of dying and will eventually become white dwarfs.

5. Vega

Vega is a dwarf star and packs a powerful punch with a brightness of 54 times more than our sun. There is a disk of gas that surrounds the star and it is believed that our own solar system developed in a much similar way. You can go outside at night with a pair of binoculars and easily see Vega against the dark sky. Plus, Vega used to be the North Star, but as gravity from the sun and moon shifts Earth on its axis, it is no longer in the correct position to be the North Star. However, in about 14,000 years it will reclaim the title once again.

4. Arcturus

As the brightest star in the northern hemisphere, Arcturus, is an orange giant and is 215 times brighter than our sun. The star is 37 light years away and is quickly approaching death. Once the precious balance between the force of gravity and pressure from within the star collapses, the outer material of the star will be thrown out into space to create a planetary nebula, while the core will form a white dwarf star.

3. Alpha Centauri

Alpha Centauri is actually made up of three stars, not just one. Alpha Centauri A and B are the brightest in the system while the smallest is a red dwarf called Alpha Centauri C. At 4.3 light years away, this star system is our closest in the vastness of space beyond our solar system. Alpha Centauri A is very much like our own sun, but is 1.5 times brighter. Alpha Centauri C is the closest of the three stars to our own sun, earning it the title of Proxima Centauri.

2. Canopus

Located 316 light years from Earth, Canopus is still very bright in the sky because it is 14,800 times brighter than our sun! White in color, this super giant is on its way to becoming a white dwarf as it's now turning its helium into carbon in the core of the star. Because of this process, Canopus is now 65 times larger than the sun. Once it dies, it will become a neon-oxygen white dwarf, a type of star that is very rare in the cosmos. It will end up being one of the largest white dwarfs in our galaxy.

1. Sirius

Coming from the Greek word for "scorching," Sirius is the brightest star in our night sky. This star knocks all of the competition out of the water in that it is twice as bright as the second brightest star! Located in the constellation Canis Major, which means the Big Dog, Sirius is often referred to as the Dog Star. With a brightness 23 times that of our sun, Sirius is only 8.5 light years away. Its extreme closeness to our planet explains why it appears so bright to us. It seems to be stable for now and gives no indication of being near death. All of these stars are stable for now so there is no need for worry. But there are dangerous stars nearby which are not necessarily the brightest. There is one huge star which is in the process of dying. Google the name Eta Carinae . Look for it's image on APOD (Astronomy Picture of the Day) and read about this one. It is seen mostly from the Southern hemisphere.

Science fair projects are very helpful to motivate the students towards scientific study. It also provides the possibility of observing the real world and related problems in a closer way. It aims to develop curiosity about science and technology. It brings about improvement in the manipulative skills, knowledge, and self-confidence.

Solar system began forming 10 to 12 billion years ago as a swirling gas and dust formed a dense core. To visualize the Solar system, understand the orbital motion of the planets and to locate the actual position of the planets the solar system science fair projects are helpful.

Some simple solar system science fair projects ideas:

- Could the other planets support any life?

- Build a miniature model of the Solar system.

- Can we collect micrometeorites from the outdoor sources?

- What causes the phases of moon and what affects the phases of moon?

- How terrestrial planets are formed?

Some interesting, but more complex, ideas for a solar system science project include things like:

- Are there many other solar systems in the universe? Do they support life?

- To study about the other galaxies and solar system present in this universe this project will be useful. A comparative study of why life is possible on earth and why not life is possible on other planets can be done in detail.

- How are the magnetic fields affected by solar storms? Can we build a homemade magnetometer to measure that?

- The magnetic fields are affected by solar storms and cause small changes in its direction at the surface, which are called “magnetic storms.”

- A magnetometer operates like a sensitive compass and senses these slight changes in the magnetic field. A homemade magnetometer can be constructed.

- Can we identify black holes? If the answer is yes, how can it be done? By this project, the mysteries and curiosity about the black holes will take a shape and a clear knowledge about black holes can be gained.

How about looking at making your own comet to know the details about them? This is a good example of the kind of model building science fair projects that you can build, which make a fancy display and encourage more people to ask questions about your project.

- A large comet is a spectacular sight and is a star like celestial body, which has a tail and still people have lots of doubts about it. To know better, this project will help out.

- How to locate the position of a celestial body by a sidereal pointer?

- Sidereal pointer is an instrument that helps you to locate each celestial body in the night sky. How to construct a sidereal pointer easily can be discussed in this project in detail.

Solar system science projects are fairly demanding projects that represent a challenge to your student, mostly because it is so difficult to build an actual experiment. The majority of the time, these projects are more based on research or model building, which are both valid, but often are much more difficult than a simple presentation of results.

Each of the projects develop cognitive skills and help the students to leap forward. However, a good solar system science fair project shows a lot of ingenuity and can really impress the judges with a creative and unique approach. If you want to win a science fair or if you need the good grade in science class, then a solar system science fair project is a great option.

Science fair projects are very helpful to motivate the students towards scientific study. It also provides the possibility of observing the real world and related problems in a closer way. It aims to develop curiosity about science and technology. It brings about improvement in the manipulative skills, knowledge, and self-confidence.

Solar system began forming 10 to 12 billion years ago as a swirling gas and dust formed a dense core. To visualize the Solar system, understand the orbital motion of the planets and to locate the actual position of the planets the solar system science fair projects are helpful.

Some simple solar system science fair projects ideas include answering questions such as:

- Can we collect micrometeorites from the outdoor sources?

- Could the other planets support any life?

- What causes the phases of moon and what affects the phases of moon?

- How terrestrial planets are formed?

- Are there many other solar systems in the universe? Do they support life?

To study about the other galaxies and solar system present in this universe this project will be useful. A comparative study of why life is possible on earth and why not life is possible on other planets can be done in detail. Younger children can also build a model of the solar system and show the relationships between the planets.

Also consider looking at natural forces which occur in the solar system, such as exploring a question like, how are the magnetic fields affected by solar storms? Can we build a homemade magnetometer to measure that? The magnetic fields are affected by solar storms and cause small changes in its direction at the surface, which are called “magnetic storms.” A magnetometer operates like a sensitive compass and senses these slight changes in the magnetic field. A homemade magnetometer can be constructed.

Can we identify black holes? If the answer is yes, how can it be done? By this project, the mysteries and curiosity about the black holes will take a shape and a clear knowledge about black holes can be gained. A thorough understanding of the nature of black holes is neceessary, and a lot of background information will be necessary for such a project.

You can make your own comet to know the details about the comets. A large comet is a spectacular sight and is a star like celestial body, which has a tail and still people have lots of doubts about it. To know better, this project will help out.

How to locate the position of a celestial body by a sidereal pointer? A sidereal pointer is an instrument that helps you to locate each celestial body in the night sky. How to construct a sidereal pointer easily can be discussed in this project in detail.

Solar system science projects are fairly demanding projects that represent a challenge. Each of the projects related with solar system science projects develops cognitive skills and help the students to leap forward.