The sky's brightest star - Sirius - is a double star. Here's how to see its small companion, Sirius B, or the Pup, which orbits the larger primary star.
Alphard is the "heart" and brightest star in the constellation Hydra the Water Snake, and it represents a welcome sign of spring for the Northern Hemisphere.
Blue-white Rigel shines as the brightest star in the constellation Orion the Hunter. It's a hot massive star in the latter stages of its stellar evolution.
The Dog Star, Sirius, is easy to spot because it's the sky's brightest star. Procyon - the other Dog Star - is near its brighter brother on the sky's dome.
Elnath, the 2nd-brightest star in Taurus, is the closest bright star to the galactic anticenter - the point in space directly opposite our Milky Way's center.