Planet Antares - Enjoying A Place Of Pride Among Hubble's 10 Best Discoveries

By Author: Salvador Mays
Total Articles: 32
Comment this article

Heard of Planet Antares - one of the brightest things on the horizon? Of course, you must have heard of Antares. After all, it is one of the most amazing discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope. As a significant discovery of science, Antares is one bright star that has generated much interest in the field of astronomy and amidst space watchers. Each year, May 31 is generally believed to be the most appropriate time for viewing Antares in the sky.

Planet Or Star

Though widely hailed as a "Planet," Antares is actually a star. Come to think of it, not just any star. Planet Antares is a star of great proportions in the Milky Way. A red planet that closely resembles Mars, the name Antares itself bears witness to the association to Mars. The word Antares literally means "anti Mars" or "rival of Mars." To gain some idea as to the enormity of Planet Antares, you can compare it to the sun - one of the largest stars in the galaxy.

When compared to the sun, Antares has a size that is 700 times larger with a luminosity 9000 times more that the sun. The sun pales in comparison to the massive Antares. Considered to ...
... be a supergiant star belonging to Class M, Planet Antares holds a place of pride in the sky at nighttime as one of the brightest stars on the horizon. The honor of being among the foremost bright stars in the sky is shared among:

* Planet Antares
* Spica
* Regulus
* Aldebaran

With a prominent presence in the night sky, it is hardly any wonder that Antares has been the recipient of scientific interest and exploration.

Relationship With Mars

While its name is inspired by its resemblance to Mars, Antares differs greatly from the Red Planet. There is a marked difference in luminosity when the two are viewed with a telescope. Mars, despite being less luminous that Antares, appears significantly brighter. The primary reason behind Mars appearing much brighter when viewed from Earth is that since Mars is much closer to us, we perceive it as much brighter. Antares, on account of being much farther away from us in terms of light years, appears to be less bright despite the fact that it is more luminous.

With the ever-increasing interest in the celestial world, there has been a corresponding demand over the Internet for reading material on the same. Websites such as PlanetAntaresUSA.net are a good source of standard information on Antares. With information also made available online in an easy to understand format, data provided on the website is also of great use for educational purposes.

Despite being one of the largest celestial bodies in the Milky Way, Planet Antares is not one of the most substantial ones. With an atmosphere comprising mainly reddish-yellow clouds and dust, Antares is believed to have a very low density. With its many unique features and massive proportions, Antares will continue to be the subject of much discussion in the coming years.

Planet Antares holds the distinction of being sixteenth among the brightest stars visible in the night-time sky. Despite being regarded as a planet, Antares is indeed a star.

Astronomy buff Edwin J. Oakenfold has been fascinated with space since he was a young boy. Today Edwin continues his research on space and the planet antares. Get more from Edwin on his blog PlanetAntaresUSA.net: http://planetantaresusa.net .