Finding La Superba in the Night Sky

By Dennis Mammana

Week of June 14-20, 2026



The universe is a colorful place, but stargazers are often frustrated when they cannot see the glorious colors that appear in celestial photographs.

These are all quite real, so why are we unable to see them?

One reason is that the color receptors of the human eye (the cones) don't respond well under faint light. They need a significant amount of energy falling on them to become active. You can prove this to yourself by trying to see colors around you in a dark movie theater. Sure, those on the screen are vibrant — that's some pretty bright light hitting your eyes — but colors throughout the dim theater appear completely muted.

The second reason that astronomical photographs show beautiful colors is that camera detectors are not affected by human physiology. They can "see" colors from even the faintest of light. This is important because these colors tell us a lot about the physical and chemical properties of celestial objects.

This doesn't mean you can't see color in the night sky; it just means that you'll need to find bright stars to improve your chances.

One of the brightest shines high in the eastern sky after dark this week: Arcturus. Follow the handle of the Big Dipper away from its bowl, and you'll soon encounter this star. If you have good color vision, you may notice that Arcturus shines with a yellow-orange light that indicates a temperature of about 7,200 F.

Now look lower toward the northeastern sky. There you'll find Vega, a nearly white star that burns considerably hotter than Arcturus — about 17,000 F.

Very low in the southeast after dark, you'll find a star even more orange than Arcturus. This is Antares, the brightest in the constellation of Scorpius, glowing with a temperature of "only" 6,100 F.

Aim binoculars or a small telescope toward these stars, and their colors will appear to pop. This is because the optics gather much more light than your eyes, and this helps to stimulate your color receptors.

Now if you'd like to see an intensely red star, you'll need to cast your gaze high overhead. Here you'll find a star that astronomers know as Y Canum Venaticorum. Most stargazers just call it La Superba (the magnificent), so named by the mid-19th century astronomer Father Angelo Secchi.

To locate it, you'll need to start at the Big Dipper; just above it appear the two most prominent stars of Canes Venatici, the hunting dogs. About two-thirds of the way between the bend of the Dipper's handle (Mizar) and the westernmost star of Canes Venatici (Chara) lies a very faint star — one you may not be able to spot with your eyes alone from near the lights of a city.

What makes this star unique is that it's what astronomers call a carbon star, one of the few visible to the unaided eye. Yes, it's a giant star like Arcturus, and it's also nearing its death, but, unlike "normal" such aging stars, La Superba has accumulated more carbon compounds in its outer atmosphere.

Find this faint star and aim binoculars or a small telescope toward it. I promise you'll be delighted by what you see.

Visit Dennis Mammana at dennismammana.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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