Space is one of the interesting subjects that often leaves many intrigued. The planets, the Sun and other celestial objects make it a topic of great discussion. One of the most talked about topics is which is the brightest star in the Earth’s night sky.
When the question was asked on the platform Quora a user explained that while the Sun wins the day as per the assumption, is it the brightest star closest to our solar system? He further explained that the answer is tricky as two factors determine the brightness of a star – magnitude and distance. While the closest star to our solar system is the Centauri system and is 4.3 light years away, this three-star system is not the brightest. The brightest star in the sky is the binary star Sirius. It is twice as far away as the Centauri but is much brighter.
Another user answered that the Sirus is 8.6 light years away, but has a magnitude of -1.46 and is the brightest object outside our solar system. It is a binary system star with Sirius A being a white main sequence and Sirius B, a white dwarf. When compared to other more distant stars like Rigel or Canopus, it is quite close to us on the galactic scale.
As per Space.com, Sirius, aka Dog Star or Sirius A is the brightest star in Earth’s night sky. It means glowing in the Greek language. Sirius star is highly visible in the winter night sky of the Northern Hemisphere due to the high luminosity or brightness of the star. According to The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Sirius has a mass that is two times that of Earth’s Sun. If the star is placed next to our Sun, Sirius would outshine by at least 20 times over. If you want to locate Sirius in the night sky, use the Orion belt as a pointer. The three stars of the belt point downward towards the Sirius to the left.
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