brightest star | EarthSky

Sky chart: Animal-shaped constellation with Regulus labeled and Alphard at lower right.

Lonely Alphard is the brightest star in Hydra

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.

Constellation Orion (looks like an hourglass), bright star Sirius to the left and star Canopus next to horizon.

Can you see Canopus, the 2nd-brightest star?

Here's how to spot Canopus, the 2nd-brightest star in the sky as seen from Earth, on February evenings. It’s located far south on the sky’s dome.

Wide array of bright but slightly fuzzy stars, mostly blue-white but one reddish, over dark landscape.

See Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky

Sirius is the brightest star as seen from Earth and is visible from both hemispheres. It lies just 8.6 light-years away, in the constellation Canis Major.

A large, bright, blue-white star in a field of many stars.

Blue-white Rigel is Orion’s brightest star

Blue-white Rigel shines as the brightest star in the constellation Orion the Hunter. It's a hot massive star, that someday will explode as a supernova.

Star chart showing the constellation Auriga with Capella, 2 other stars, and 3 Messier objects labeled.

Capella is one of the sky’s brightest stars

The 6th-brightest star in the night sky, Capella, in the Northern Hemisphere constellation Auriga the Charioteer, is also a point of the Winter Hexagon.

Star chart with Orion and arrow from 3-star Belt to lone star Sirius below.

See brightest star, Sirius, in your morning sky

Out late at night or before dawn? Look for the sky's brightest star, Sirius, a brilliant beauty. You'll know it's Sirius if you see Orion's Belt pointing to it.

Star chart: animal-shaped constellation with head at right side and bright star in chest area.

Meet Regulus, Leo the Lion’s Heart and brightest star

The bright star Regulus in Leo the Lion is prominent in the evening sky in May. It looks like a single point of light, but is really 4 stars.

Star chart: 4 labeled stars at ends of cross arms and small dots for a labeled star cluster.

Acrux is the brightest star in the Southern Cross

Acrux, also called Alpha Crucis, is the brightest star in the constellation Crux, the Southern Cross. And it is not 1, but 2 stars.

Star chart showing constellation Orion with Rigel, Betelgeuse and Bellatrix marked.

Bellatrix is Orion’s 3rd-brightest star

Orion's shoulder star Bellatrix has a name that means "female warrior." Bellatrix is one of the hottest stars you can see without optical aid.

Dark sky over buildings with stars labeled and Southern Cross outlined.

Mimosa, 2nd-brightest star in Crux, the Southern Cross

To see Mimosa, you need to be in the Southern Hemisphere, where it is a prominent star, or at the latitude of New Orleans, Hawaii, Cairo or New Delhi.

Diagram of constellations Cassiopeia and Perseus with arrow from one to the other and bright stars labeled.

Mirfak is the brightest star in Perseus the Hero

Mirfak is the brightest star in Perseus and is visible even from light-polluted locations. This star is a member of the Alpha Persei Moving Cluster of stars.

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Venus, Aldebaran and the Pleiades cluster in the east before dawn.

Venus brightest, near star Aldebaran, around July 10

Even though - as seen from Earth - Venus appears only slightly more than 1/4 illuminated on July 10, 2020, it is nonetheless shining at its brightest in our morning sky! Look east before sunup for Venus. The bright star nearby is Aldebaran.

Brightest galaxy and first-generation stars

The newly found galaxy, labelled CR7, is three times brighter than the brightest distant galaxy known up to now. It may contain some of the first stars.

Chart with rings around sun at 2, 4, and 6 light-years with labeled stars.

Alpha Centauri, the star system closest to our sun

Our closest stellar neighbors are the 3 stars that make up the Alpha Centauri system. They lie just over 4 light-years away from us.

A dipper-shaped star pattern with a pink arrow going from 2 stars to a distant star in another dipper.

Kochab and Pherkad: Outer bowl stars of the Little Dipper

Kochab and Pherkad are stars in the Little Dipper asterism. Maybe you can find the Big Dipper but not the Little Dipper? This post will help.

Star-hop from Orion to Sirius: See them before they go!

Star-hopping is going from stars you know to stars you don't know. Star-hop from the constellation Orion to Sirius, sky's brightest star, before they're gone.

Star chart: upside down Y shaped constellation, with other labeled stars and small dots for cluster.

Meet Cancer the Crab and its Beehive star cluster

Cancer the Crab is one of the 12 constellations of the zodiac. Learn how to find it in your sky, plus learn about its star cluster, mythology and more.

Star chart showing constellation Orion with brightest stars Rigel and Betelgeuse labeled.

Notice the westward shift of Orion and all the stars

As Earth makes its grand tour around the sun each year, the stars and constellations all do a westward shift in our sky. Orion is a good one to notice.

A triangle inside a triangle with labeled stars.

A Spring Triangle of stars heralds the season

As the Northern Hemisphere enters spring, look for the Spring Triangle rising in the east, made up of bright stars from 3 prominent constellations.

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Lonely Alphard is the brightest star in Hydra

Can you see Canopus, the 2nd-brightest star?

See Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky

Blue-white Rigel is Orion’s brightest star

Capella is one of the sky’s brightest stars

See brightest star, Sirius, in your morning sky

Meet Regulus, Leo the Lion’s Heart and brightest star

Acrux is the brightest star in the Southern Cross

Bellatrix is Orion’s 3rd-brightest star

Mimosa, 2nd-brightest star in Crux, the Southern Cross

Mirfak is the brightest star in Perseus the Hero

brightest-stars

Venus brightest, near star Aldebaran, around July 10

Brightest galaxy and first-generation stars

Alpha Centauri, the star system closest to our sun

Kochab and Pherkad: Outer bowl stars of the Little Dipper

Star-hop from Orion to Sirius: See them before they go!

Meet Cancer the Crab and its Beehive star cluster

Notice the westward shift of Orion and all the stars

A Spring Triangle of stars heralds the season