Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.
Do you still do quizzes on Zoom? If you – and you should be a makeup questioner – here’s one that makes almost everyone wrong:
What is the brightest star in the night sky?
The most popular answer is always the same: the North Star.
No, the brightest star in the night sky is net the North Star.
It’s Sirius, a bright blue star that will be visible for the first time since winter for the first time since winter for those of us in the northern hemisphere this weekend.
Is the North Star the brightest star in the night sky?
No – it’s actually the 48th brightest. The North Star visible only from the northern hemisphere, sits directly above the North Pole.
It’s also called Polaris. Since the Earth’s axis points seem to focus directly on it, Polaris never seems to move, only rotates.
It always sits above the right north, and its height above the horizon gives you latitude away – your distance from the equator (at the equator you can not see Polaris, and at the North Pole it is directly above your head).
In each constellation, taken from the northern hemisphere, Polaris, the North Star, is the … [+]
Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky
Sirius, in the constellation Canis Major, shines at -1.46, so many ancient cultures have long been a famous star. It is the fifth closest galaxy to our own. It is best described as Sirius A, because a second star, Sirius B, is also part of what a binary system is.
Why this weekend ‘heliacal r’is’ of Sirius is significant
This weekend is the heliacal rise—The annual first appearance – of Sirius. On Saturday, it briefly became visible above the eastern horizon just before sunrise, after six months of being completely invisible.
As an opportunity to mark harvests, the heliac rise of Sirius was important to various cultures, including the ancient Egyptians.
Why Sirius is called the ‘Dog Star’
Like Alpha Canis Majoris, Sirius is also called the ‘Dog Star’. The name “Sirius” comes from the Greek word for “glowing” or “burning”, while “Dog Star” comes from the highest star (by far) in the constellation of Canis Major, the great hunting dog.
Ever heard the “dog days of summer”? That has to do with the hottest days of summer in the northern hemisphere – right now. This is because it was thought that the presence of Sirius in the daytime sky near the sun intensifies the heat of the day. That’s not at all how it works, but the name sticks.
The constellation of Canis Major, the great hunting dog of Orion. (Photo by: VW Pics / Universal Images … [+]
The 5 brightest stars in the night sky
The North Star does not come close to the five brightest stars in the night sky, which are:
- Sirius (visible from both semicircles).
- Canopus (only visible from near the equator and the southern hemisphere).
- Alpha Centauri (only visible from the southern hemisphere).
- Arcturus (easily seen from the northern hemisphere throughout the spring and summer).
- Vega (easily seen from the northern hemisphere all summer and autumn).
I wish you clear skies and wide eyes.
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