Sirius, “the Dog Star,” is the brightest star in our night sky. It’s not just a single star, though. It’s actually a binary star system, made of Sirius A and Sirius B. Found in the constellation Canis Major (the Greater Dog), this star has fascinated us for centuries. Ancient civilizations even based their calendars on its rising. Sirius is twice as bright as the next brightest star, Canopus! That’s because it’s also one of the closest: only 8.6 light years away.

The lower the magnitude, the brighter a star appears. This measures how bright a star looks from Earth, not how much light it emits. What’s your favorite constellation? Mine is Orion.

1. Sirius, the Greater Dog: -1.46 magnitude
2. Canopus, the Keel: -0.74 magnitude
3. Alpha Centauri, the Centaur: -0.27 magnitude
4. Arcturus, the Herdsman: -0.05 magnitude
5. Vega, the Lyre: +0.03 magnitude
6. Capella, the Charioteer: +0.08 magnitude
7. Rigel, the Hunter: +0.13 magnitude
8. Procyon, the Lesser Dog: +0.34 magnitude
9. Achernar, the River: +0.46 magnitude
10. Betelgeuse, the Hunter: ~+0.50 magnitude