Sirius: The brightest star

Located in the Constellation of Canis Major (The Major Dog), of which it holds the denomination Alpha, Sirius (Sirius in brass) is not only the most important star of the constellation, but also the brightest of the night in all the sky. So much is its notoriety that its brightness is almost double that the star that follows it in this classification, Canopus, the main component of the Constellation of Carina (La Quilla). Its visual magnitude of -1.47 makes it shine with more intensity than many planets, as we will see.

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It is visible from practically all inhabited areas of the Earth, except for those located north of the parallel +73 degrees (which I have highlighted on the world map), and clearly inside the Arctic Circle (Longyearbyen, in Norway, the most important population in those latitudes, has only 1,600 inhabitants). In contrast, south of the parallel -73 degrees, already in Antarctica, is circumpolar, which means that it is not hidden under the horizon at any time, in its apparent circular motion around the Celestial South Pole. All this is due to its decline of almost 17 degrees south of the celestial equator. Exactly, its decline is -16 degrees 42m 09s.

There should be no problem locating the brightest star of the night, except for the risk of confusing it with some planets. Venus and Jupiter surpass Sirius in brightness, and occasionally so do Mars and Mercury. But none of them appears in the vicinity of Canis Major, where Sirius is located, as its orbit is quite separate from the region, being located in the zodiacal constellations through which the ecliptic passes. In addition, the planets offer a constant brightness, without flickering, while Sirius blinks, as do all stars.

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