Brightest Stars in the Night Sky: Sirius, Canopus & More
Which star outshines all the others? If you include daytime, the answer is the Sun, with an apparent visual magnitude of about -26.74. After dark, however, Sirius takes the first place, followed by Canopus and Alpha Centauri.
Below, we rank the seven brightest stars visible at night by their apparent brightness and show how to find them. You can also find these stars easily with Star Walk 2 — just point your device at the sky.
Contents
- The 7 most brilliant stars seen from Earth
- 1. Sirius — brightest star in the night sky
- 2. Canopus — second-brightest star in the night sky
- 3. Alpha Centauri — third-brightest star in the night sky
- 4. Arcturus — fourth-brightest star in the night sky
- 5. Vega — fifth-brightest star in the night sky
- 6. Capella — sixth-brightest star in the night sky
- 7. Rigel — seventh-brightest star in the night sky
Brightest stars FAQ
- What is the brightest star in the night sky?
- What is the second-brightest star in the night sky?
- What is the third-brightest star in the night sky?
- What is the brightest star in the winter sky?
- Is Polaris the brightest star in the sky?
- Why do some stars look brighter than others?
- Is apparent magnitude the same as luminosity?
- Which is the brightest star visible from the Northern Hemisphere?
- Which is the brightest star visible from the Southern Hemisphere?
- Can you see all seven of the brightest stars at once?
- Brightest stars: bottom line
The 7 most brilliant stars seen from Earth
The ranking in this article uses apparent visual magnitude, which describes how bright a star looks from Earth. For multiple-star systems (like Alpha Centauri), we use their combined brightness when they appear as a single point to the naked eye. The lower the magnitude, the brighter the star.
| Rank | Star | Apparent magnitude | Constellation | Distance from Earth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sirius | -1.46 | Canis Major | 8.6 light-years |
| 2 | Canopus | -0.74 | Carina | 310 light-years |
| 3 | Alpha Centauri (A + B) | -0.27 | Centaurus | 4.37 light-years |
| 4 | Arcturus | -0.05 | Boötes | 36.7 light-years |
| 5 | Vega | +0.03 | Lyra | 25 light-years |
| 6 | Capella | +0.08 | Auriga | 42.8 light-years |
| 7 | Rigel | +0.13 | Orion | 860 light-years |
1. Sirius — brightest star in the night sky
- Official name: Sirius, assigned to the primary component
- Apparent magnitude: -1.46
- Star type: binary system; Sirius A is an A1 V main-sequence star, Sirius B is a white dwarf
- Distance from Earth: 8.6 light-years
- Constellation: Canis Major
- Color: blue-white; near the horizon it can appear to flash red and blue
- Visible from: about 73°N to 90°S
- Best evening visibility: December to March
Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky and is nearly twice as bright in visible light as Canopus, the next star in the ranking. Sirius A supplies almost all the visible light. Sirius B is much fainter and requires a telescope to see.
How to find Sirius
Find Orion's Belt, the famous row of three stars. Imagine a straight line running through all three stars and extend it in both directions. On one side, the line points toward bright reddish Aldebaran; on the other, it leads to the much brighter, blue-white Sirius. Sirius is about 20° from Orion's Belt, or roughly eight times the Belt's length. If you want to make sure you've found the right star, search for Sirius in Star Walk 2 and follow the white arrow on the sky map.
When Sirius is low above the horizon, it may flicker white, red, and blue. Turbulence in Earth's atmosphere continually changes the path and intensity of its light, producing atmospheric scintillation. Learn more in our guide to why stars twinkle.
2. Canopus — second-brightest star in the night sky
- Official name: Canopus
- Apparent magnitude: -0.74
- Star type and spectral class: A9 II bright giant
- Distance from Earth: about 310 light-years
- Constellation: Carina
- Color: yellow-white
- Visible from: about 37°N to 90°S
- Best evening visibility: December to February from low northern latitudes; December to March in the Southern Hemisphere
Canopus is the second-brightest star in the night sky, after Sirius. It is much farther away than the other stars near the top of this list, so its high apparent brightness reflects its enormous intrinsic luminosity.
Canopus is classified as an A9 II bright giant. This means it is a hot, extremely luminous star that has already left the main sequence, the long stage when stars generate energy by fusing hydrogen in their cores.
How to find Canopus
If Canopus is visible from your location, you can use Sirius to find it. From Sirius, look about 36° toward the southern part of the sky — a little more than three fists held at arm's length. Canopus is a bright yellow-white star in a largely empty-looking area of the sky.
If you enjoy finding stars by eye, our 15 Stars Everyone Can Find infographic gives more simple star-hopping routes for both hemispheres.
3. Alpha Centauri — third-brightest star in the night sky
- Official component names: Rigil Kentaurus (Alpha Centauri A), Toliman (Alpha Centauri B), and Proxima Centauri (Alpha Centauri C)
- Apparent magnitude: about -0.27 for Alpha Centauri A and B combined
- Star type: triple-star system; Alpha Centauri A and B are main-sequence stars (G2 V and K1 V), while Proxima Centauri is a red dwarf
- Distance from Earth: about 4.37 light-years to A and B; Proxima Centauri is about 4.25 light-years away
- Constellation: Centaurus
- Color: yellow-white
- Visible from: about 29°N to 90°S
- Best evening visibility: May to July from low northern latitudes; April to August in the Southern Hemisphere
Alpha Centauri is a triple system, but the bright point we see with the naked eye is the combined light of Rigil Kentaurus and Toliman. Their magnitudes combine to about -0.27, putting Alpha Centauri ahead of Arcturus in an observer-based ranking.
Proxima Centauri is the closest star to the Sun, but it is too faint to see with the naked eye and appears more than 2° away from the much brighter Alpha Centauri A and B pair.
How to find Alpha Centauri
First find Crux (the Southern Cross). Nearby, look for two very bright stars known as the Pointer Stars: Alpha Centauri and Beta Centauri, about 4.5° apart.
Alpha Centauri is the brighter, slightly more yellowish star farther from Crux. Beta Centauri is bluer and lies closer to the Southern Cross.
Crux is also one of the easiest constellations to recognize. You can find more beginner-friendly star patterns in our infographic on famous constellations.
4. Arcturus — fourth-brightest star in the night sky
- Official name: Arcturus
- Apparent magnitude: about -0.05
- Star type and spectral class: K1.5 III orange giant
- Distance from Earth: about 36.7 light-years
- Constellation: Boötes
- Color: orange
- Visible from: 90°N to about 71°S
- Best evening visibility: April to July
Arcturus is the brightest star located in the northern celestial hemisphere. Its warm orange color makes it easy to distinguish from many of the white and blue-white stars around it.
How to find Arcturus
If the Big Dipper is visible from your location, follow the natural curve of its handle and continue the same arc for about 30° — roughly three fists held at arm’s length. This will lead you to orange-hued Arcturus. The star also is part of the Spring Triangle asterism.
For an even easier way to locate Arcturus, use an astronomy app such as Star Walk 2.
5. Vega — fifth-brightest star in the night sky
- Official name: Vega
- Apparent magnitude: about +0.03
- Star type and spectral class: A0 V main-sequence star
- Distance from Earth: about 25 light-years
- Constellation: Lyra
- Color: blue-white
- Visible from: 90°N to about 51°S
- Best evening visibility: June to October in the Northern Hemisphere; June to September in much of the Southern Hemisphere
Vega is the brightest star in Lyra and the brightest corner of the Summer Triangle, which it forms with Deneb and Altair.
Vega has long been used as an important reference star for measuring stellar brightness. Although it is often associated with magnitude 0, its actual apparent magnitude is about +0.03.
How to find Vega
The easiest way to find Vega is using the Summer Triangle. Look for a large triangle of three bright stars — Vega, Deneb, and Altair. Vega is the brilliant blue-white star at one of its corners. To confirm you’re looking at Vega, search for Lyra’s small parallelogram of stars right next to it.
From southern latitudes, the Summer Triangle appears lower in the northern sky and may look upside down compared with how it appears from the Northern Hemisphere.
6. Capella — sixth-brightest star in the night sky
- Official name: Capella, assigned to the primary component
- Apparent magnitude: about +0.08 for the combined system
- Star type: quadruple system; the dominant close pair consists of two yellow giants
- Distance from Earth: about 42.8 light-years
- Constellation: Auriga
- Color: golden-yellow
- Visible from: 90°N to about 44°S
- Best evening visibility: November to March in the Northern Hemisphere; November to February from southern locations where it rises
Capella looks like a single rich-yellow star, but it is actually a quadruple star system made of two binary pairs. The close pair, Capella Aa and Ab, contains two evolved yellow giants and produces almost all the visible light. The other pair consists of much fainter red dwarfs.
How to find Capella
Capella is the brightest corner of Auriga's irregular pentagon and one of the vertices of the Winter Hexagon.
Northern observers can also use the Big Dipper: extend a line from Megrez through Dubhe, the two stars along the upper side of the Dipper's bowl, roughly five times their separation. Capella lies a few degrees from that line.
7. Rigel — seventh-brightest star in the night sky
- Official name: Rigel
- Apparent magnitude: roughly +0.05 to +0.18; about +0.13 on average
- Star type: blue supergiant in a multiple-star system
- Distance from Earth: about 860 light-years
- Constellation: Orion
- Color: blue-white
- Visible from: 82°N to about 90°S
- Best evening visibility: roughly November to March, depending on latitude
Rigel is the brightest star in Orion and one of the most luminous stars visible to the naked eye. Even though it is hundreds of light-years farther away than Sirius, Vega, or Arcturus, it still appears among the brightest stars in our sky.
Rigel is mildly variable, so its apparent magnitude changes slightly. Because Vega, Capella, and Rigel are relatively close in apparent brightness, you may see slightly different values or ordering in different catalogs and lists.
How to find Rigel
Find Orion's Belt, then look for the bright blue-white star marking one of the Hunter's feet. Rigel lies diagonally across Orion from reddish Betelgeuse, with the Belt between the two bright stars.
Orion is one of the easiest constellations to recognize, so Rigel is an excellent bright-star target for beginners.
Brightest stars FAQ
What is the brightest star in the night sky?
Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky, with an apparent visual magnitude of -1.46. It is visible from most inhabited latitudes but does not rise north of about 73°N.
What is the second-brightest star in the night sky?
Canopus is the second-brightest star in the night sky, with an apparent visual magnitude of about -0.74. It is best seen from the Southern Hemisphere and does not rise north of about 37°N.
What is the third-brightest star in the night sky?
Alpha Centauri ranks third, after Sirius and Canopus. To the naked eye, Alpha Centauri A and B blend into a single star with a combined apparent magnitude of about -0.27.
What is the brightest star in the winter sky?
For Northern Hemisphere observers, Sirius is the brightest star in the winter evening sky. It is especially prominent from December through March. In the Southern Hemisphere, Alpha Centauri is the brightest star on winter evenings, particularly in early winter.
Is Polaris the brightest star in the sky?
No. Polaris has an apparent magnitude of about 2.0 and ranks only around 50th in brightness. Its importance comes from its position near the north celestial pole, which makes it a valuable navigation star. Sirius appears about 25 times brighter than Polaris and is the brightest star in the night sky.
Why do some stars look brighter than others?
How bright a star looks from Earth mainly depends on how much light it gives off and how far away it is. A very luminous star can look bright even from a great distance, while a less luminous star may appear bright simply because it is much closer to us.
Is apparent magnitude the same as luminosity?
No. Apparent magnitude tells us how bright a star looks from Earth, while luminosity tells us how much light the star actually gives off.
Which is the brightest star visible from the Northern Hemisphere?
For most Northern Hemisphere observers, Sirius is the brightest star. Despite lying south of the celestial equator, it is visible from locations up to about 73°N. Farther north, Sirius never rises above the horizon, making Arcturus the brightest star visible there.
Which is the brightest star visible from the Southern Hemisphere?
Sirius is also the brightest star visible from the Southern Hemisphere. Canopus is second-brightest, and Alpha Centauri is third.
Can you see all seven of the brightest stars at once?
Up to six brightest stars can be visible simultaneously, under favorable conditions near the equator around March. Sirius, Canopus, Alpha Centauri, Arcturus, Capella, and Rigel can briefly share the sky, while Vega remains below the horizon. All seven cannot be seen together.
Brightest stars: bottom line
Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky, followed by Canopus and Alpha Centauri. Arcturus, Vega, Capella, and Rigel complete the top seven.
All seven stars are bright enough to see with the naked eye, even from light-polluted areas, provided they are above the horizon. Learning to recognize a few of them can also help you find constellations and other objects around them. If you need help locating stars and constellations, use the Star Walk 2 astronomy app.
Ready to test yourself? Try the Guess the Star quiz, or use our brightest-stars infographic as a quick guide for your next stargazing session.
