List of star extremes


A star is a sphere that is mainly composed of hydrogen and plasma, held together by gravity and is able to produce light through nuclear fusion. Stars exhibit many diverse properties, resulting from different masses, volumes, velocities, stage in stellar evolution and even proximity to earth. Some of these properties are considered extreme and sometimes disproportionate by astronomers.

Age and distance

TitleObjectDateDataCommentsNotesRefsSee more
Nearest "average" starAlpha Centauri
A & B		1839This was the third star whose parallax was determined. Before Alpha Cen, the record was held by 61 Cygni, the first star whose parallax was determined.
Nearest normal starAlpha Centauri C
1915Before Proxima, the title had been held by Alpha Centauri A&B.
Nearest red dwarfAlpha Centauri C
1915Before Proxima, the title had been held by Barnard's Star
Nearest degenerate starSirius B1852This is also the nearest white dwarf
Nearest borderline subgiantProcyonAll stars closer to the Sun are either main sequence or dwarf stars.
Nearest undisputed subgiantDelta PavonisA subgiant, but only slightly brighter than the Sun.
Nearest "true" giant starPollux
Nearest red giantArcturus
Nearest spectral type A or hotterSirius
Nearest neutron starRX J185635-37542000
Nearest white dwarfSirius B1852Sirius B is also the second white dwarf discovered, after 40 Eridani B.
Nearest flare starProxima Centauri
α Cen C is also the nearest neighbouring star.
Nearest brown dwarf2013This is a pair of brown dwarfs in a binary system, with no other stars.

Brightness and power

TitleObjectDateDataCommentsNotesRefsSee more
Brightest star from the Earth: Apparent magnitudeSunprehistoricReported for reference
Brightest star other than the SunSirius
prehistoricm=−1.46List of brightest stars
Brightest star in a transient eventProgenitor of SN 10061006m=−7.5This was a supernova, and its remnant is catalogued as PKS 1459-41
Dimmest star from the EarthUDF 2457---
Most luminous starR136a12010List of most luminous stars
Most luminous star in a transient eventProgenitor of GRB 080916C2008The star exploded in a gamma-ray burst with the total energy equal to 9,000 supernovaeList of gamma-ray bursts
Least luminous normal star2MASS J0523−14032013
Most energetic starR136a12010List of most luminous stars
Most energetic star in a transient eventProgenitor of GRB 080916C2008
Least energetic normal star2MASS J0523−14032013L=0.000126LSun
Hottest normal starWR 102T=210000 KList of hottest stars
Coolest normal starS CassiopeiaeT=1800 KList of coolest stars

TitleObjectDateDataCommentsNotesRefsSee more
Hottest degenerate starKPD 0005+5106
H1504+65		2008
200,000 K
200,000 K
Hottest neutron starAt least 100,000K
Hottest white dwarfKPD 0005+51062008200,000 K
Hottest PG 1159 star/GW Vir starRX J2117+34121999170,000 K
Coolest brown dwarfWISE 1828+2650250–400 KWISE 0855-0714 may be cooler at 225–260 K, but its status as a rogue planet or sub-brown dwarf is not well known as its mass is between.

Size and mass

Motion

Star systems

TitleObjectDateDataCommentsNotesRefsSee more
Shortest period black hole binary system2013This exceeds the preceding recordholder by about one hour

Location

The southern hemisphere consists of more 1st magnitude stars than the northern.
Due to precession this will change over the centuries, by AD 13800, Vega will be only 4 degrees from the North Pole, at the same time Canopus will be 10 degrees from the South pole. At that time, the number of bright stars in the northern hemisphere will be only 6 while 17 in the southern. Moreover, due to proper motion some nearby stars like Arcturus or Alpha Centauri will be displaced several degrees. About AD 6400 Alpha Centauri will pass 1 degree from Beta Centauri.
At BC 3400, Achernar was only 8 degrees from the South Pole.
The greatest concentration of bright stars is around Orion. Within a circle of 60 degrees radius around a point in Monoceros at RA 6:30, DE 5ºS, 11 stars of magnitude +1.6 or brighter occur: Capella, Pollux, Castor, Regulus, Procyon, Sirius, Adhara, Canopus, Rigel, Betelgeuse and Aldebaran. No other part of the sky consists of so many bright stars: the entire sky has just 23 such stars.
Narrowing the circle to 50 degrees and moving the center to the midway point of Capella and Canopus will still consist of 9 stars leaving out only Regulus.
Within a much smaller circle of 10 degrees radius from Alnilam, the center Orion belt star, 5 stars of mag +2.2 or brighter occur of which 70 exist in the entire sky.
The most 'remote' first magnitude star from another first magnitude star is either Fomalhaut or Achernar which are nearest to each other, then Antares which is nearest to Alpha Centauri.