- Stars with a name
- Sirius
Sirius
α Canis Majoris
Sirius is a white star, in the constellation Canis Major. The light you see from it tonight left it around 2017.
Where to find it
From mid-northern latitudes, such as New York, Rome or Tokyo, it is best seen in the evening sky in January and February.
Bright enough to see even from a city. Apparent magnitude -1.44.
What it’s like
It gives off 23 times as much light as the Sun.
Its surface is at about 10,000 degrees.
It is 8.6 light years away: 81 trillion kilometres.
It is the star of people born around 2017: the light that left it then is reaching Earth now.