What star in the northeast flashes colorfully? It’s Capella!
If you see a bright star in the northeast on October evenings, twinkling with red and green flashes, it's probably Capella. See sky charts here. The post What star in the northeast flashes colorfully? It’s Capella! first appeared on EarthSky .
Capella, the brightest star in the northeast during northern autumn evenings, is known for its dazzling flashes of red, green and blue light. This star is often mistaken for a UFO by observers. To identify Capella, look for a small triangle of stars nearby – this is called The Kids. Capella is also known as the Goat Star, named for its position in the constellation Auriga the Charioteer.
This star appears to twinkle due to its proximity to the horizon, causing its light to pass through Earth's thick atmosphere, which causes the light to vibrate, refract, split into colors and flash. Capella is actually two golden stars, both with similar surface temperatures as our sun but are larger and brighter. The twinkling effect is more noticeable as Capella is low in the sky because more of the atmosphere is between the star and the viewer.
When Capella is higher in the sky, these color flashes will not be seen. Other stars that may appear to twinkle include Arcturus in the northwest and Sirius in the south.
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