Arcturus, the brightest star of the northern sky

Arcturus, the brightest star of the northern sky

The star Arcturus is easy to identify. Use the Big Dipper to follow the arc to Arcturus and then speed on to Spica. Your support = more science, more stars, more wonder.Donate to EarthSky and be part of something bigger. Arcturus is a red giant star located only 36.7 light-years away. It’s the 4th-brightest star in the sky and the brightest one in the northern half of the sky. Look for it on spring evenings in the Northern Hemisphere by arcing t…