From Earth there are about 6000 stars that can be seen with the naked eye. They have intrigued people for many centuries and led to many discoveries, such as navigation. Even today, with a better understanding of what a star consists of, they are still the subject of much fascination. If you have ever wondered which star is the brightest in the sky, keep reading to find out.
What is the brightest star when viewed from Earth?
Firstly, we must consider that the brightest star viewed from Earth may not actually be the brightest star in the universe. For example, a very bright star that is far away will appear dim from Earth, but a weak star close to Earth will look brighter.
The brightest star when viewed from Earth is actually the Sun. However, if we take it out of the equation and just consider the night sky then the brightest star is Sirius. It is almost twice as bright as the next brightest star, Canopus. Sirius appears so bright in the night sky because it is relatively close to the Earth and is 25 more times as bright as our sun.
Did you know?
Although it appears as one sun to the naked eye, it is actually made up of two stars (named A and B). This is called a binary star system. Sirius A is much brighter than Sirius B and it is twice the size of our Sun.