Canopus

I chose this star because it is one of the only stars that was not visible to Greeks and Romans first; it was known by ancient Egyptians, the Navajo, and Chinese. To the Chinese, it was known as the "Star of the Old Man: and was first charted by astronomer Yi Xing in 724 CE. The white giant is the brightest star in the constellation Carina and the second brightest in the nighttime sky. It is named after the mythological Canopus--the navigator for king Menelaus of Sparta.

Star: Canopus

Chemical makeup: predominately nitrogen

Location in space: Right ascension- 6 hr 23 min 57.1 sec
Declination- -52 degrees 41' 44.4"
110 light years from Sun

Spectrum analysis of most abundant chemical (nitrogen): 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen

Stellar classification: F0 yellow-white star

 

http://www.puja.net/wordpress/agastya-and-modern-astronomy-podcast-81/

Sources: 
100,000 Stars. (n.d.). Retrieved September 26, 2015, from http://stars.chromeexperiments.com/
What Are The Most Famous Stars? (2015, February 11). Retrieved September 27, 2015, from http://www.universetoday.com/45775/famous-stars/
Internet STELLAR DATABASE. (n.d.). Retrieved September 27, 2015, from http://www.stellar-database.com/

Canopus. (n.d.). Retrieved September 27, 2015, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canopus