The general term giant stars in the later stages of their lifecycles that have moved away from the main sequence and show stronger luminosity than a dwarf or main sequence star . These typical giants are indicated by a suffix 'III ' on their spectral classifications . There exists a subset of giant stars , however, that show notably higher luminosity than typical giants , and yet do not fall within the specific classification of a supergiant luminous giants are termed bright giants , and are indicated with the suffix 'II' on their spectral classifications .
Bright giants do not necessarily share specific features beyond their strong luminosity (they can occur with different colourations, for example). In some cases, the bright giant state represents a transitional phase between a giant and a supergiant , but this not always the case.
The brightest star of this kind is Canopus in Carina , one of the brightest stars in Earth's sky (though in fact the status of Canopus is not fully settled, and some authorities prefer to classify it as a true supergiant rather than a bright giant ). Other prominent examples of bright giant stars include blue Adhara in Canis Major , bright yellow Sargas in Scorpius , and the hot O-type star Mintaka that forms part of Orion's Belt .
