{"id":51730,"date":"2023-11-13T13:01:39","date_gmt":"2023-11-13T13:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/a1cf866d-f6d0-4779-bde4-1aed397ec8ff"},"modified":"2023-11-13T13:34:05","modified_gmt":"2023-11-13T13:34:05","slug":"what-is-the-brightest-star-in-the-sky","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/what-is-the-brightest-star-in-the-sky\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the brightest star in the sky?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The night sky is awash with stars, but which are the brightest? Discover what the brightest star in the night sky is tonight, and how to find it. <\/p>

By Scott Levine\n <\/p>

Published: Monday, 13 November 2023 at 13:01 PM<\/p>

\n\n

The brightest star in the night sky? You\u2019re right, it\u2019s Sirius <\/strong>(mag. -1.45), which coasts low above the southern horizon for most of us in the northern hemisphere during the cooler months.<\/p>

Sirius is so bright that it\u2019s not uncommon for people to mistake it for Jupiter<\/a> (maximum mag. about -2.7) or even Venus<\/a> (maximum mag. about -5).<\/p>

But, what if we were to change that question to “what is the brightest star in the sky tonight?”<\/p>

The answer would change throughout the year, and perhaps more than you might think.<\/p>

First, let\u2019s talk about what it means for an astronomical object to be bright.<\/p>

Star Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Credit: iStock \/ Getty Images Plus<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Star brightness, magnitude and luminosity<\/strong><\/h2>

Astronomers talk about how bright objects in space look from here on Earth in terms of apparent magnitude<\/em>, or brightness<\/em>.<\/p>

The stellar magnitude<\/a> scale runs backward: the lower the number, the brighter the object.<\/p>

Stars<\/a> that are magnitude 1 or 0 are the brightest in the night. The Sun is about magnitude -27.The full Moon is magnitude -13.<\/p>

\"Sirius
Sirius A and B by Fernando Oliveira De Menezes, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Equipment: CELESTRON C11, c\u00e2mera 290mm<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Astronomers also use the term absolute magnitude<\/em>or luminosity<\/em>, which is an object\u2019s apparent magnitude if seen from a distance of 10 parsecs (32.6 lightyears: a parsec is 3.26 lightyears – for more on this read our guide to measuring distance in space<\/a>).<\/p>

In this article, we\u2019re talking about the night\u2019s brightest stars measured by apparent magnitude.<\/p>

What’s the brightest star in the night sky tonight?<\/strong><\/h2>

Sirius<\/strong><\/h2>
\"Sirius
Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Photographic by Tommy Hsu \/ Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Since Sirius is only visible in the night sky for a few months, the rest of the time some other star has to be the brightest in the sky. This turns a seemingly simple question into a fun party trick.<\/p>

Through the year, there are only three stars that hold the title of the sky\u2019s brightest. But what are they, and how do we find them?<\/p>

Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky during autumn, winter and early spring.<\/p>

To find Sirius, all you need to do is follow the line of Orion<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s belt stars downward, toward the southeast – generally, toward the horizon – and there it is.<\/p>

Sirius also provides a nice astrophotography<\/a> opportunity to photograph the changing colours of a twinkling star<\/a>.<\/p>

Arcturus<\/strong><\/h2>
\"Arcturus
Arcturus shines brightly through the clouds in this image captured by Robin Buckmaster, Cenarth, Wales, 2011. Credit: Robin Buckmaster.<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Around the end of February, the northern hemisphere\u2019s second brightest star hops into the night. Arcturus<\/strong> (mag. -0.1) is the entire night sky\u2019s fourth brightest star: an old red giant about 35 lightyears away.<\/p>

To find it, just follow the curve of the Plough<\/a>\u2019s handle away from its blade (and while you’re there, you might want to take a look at stars Merak<\/a> and Mizor and Alcor<\/a>).<\/p>

Arcturus is the next bright star we come to. It\u2019s one of my favourite stars, and always makes me smile whenever I see it.<\/p>

Sirius is still in the sky when Arcturus appears, though. It\u2019s not until early April, when Sirius disappears, that Arcturus takes over and becomes the brightest star in the night sky.<\/p>

Vega<\/strong><\/h2>
\"Star
Vega and surrounding stars through a telescope. Credit: Ade Ashford.<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Next is bright, blueish Vega <\/strong><\/a>(mag. 0), which comes back to the night sky in early spring. Vega is in the constellation Lyra<\/strong>, the harp, and is also the brightest star in the Summer Triangle <\/strong><\/a>(one of our favourite summer constellations<\/a> and asterisms).<\/p>

Vega makes its way into the skies just as Sirius is leaving, and spends the spring and early part of the summer climbing high above our heads.<\/p>

\"Star
Vega by Jarrod Bennett, Mutxamel, Spain. Equipment: Canon 450D, 50mm lens, Vixen Polarie.<\/figcaption><\/figure>

By September, when Arcturus\u2019s time is up, Vega is almost due west, in the upper half of the sky.<\/p>

The Summer Triangle\u2019s stars are visible in the night sky into the early part of January, if you can believe it. This is when something interesting happens.<\/p>

\"The
The stars of the Summer Triangle asterism. Star Vega (top left), is the 5th brightest star in the night sky. Altair can be seen below in the middle and Deneb is far left. Credit: A. Fujii<\/figcaption><\/figure>

In December, while Vega is slowly making its exit, Sirius joins it, and both are in the sky at the same time. The trouble is, both of them are close to the horizon and can be difficult to see.<\/p>

So, where does that leave us? It\u2019s true that the brightest star in December is Vega until one night, when it becomes Sirius, but if they\u2019re both too low to see easily, what do we do? We look straight overhead.<\/p>

Capella<\/strong><\/h2>
\"A
A starry nightscape looking towards the Yorkshire Three Peaks. L to R – Whernside with a touch of aurora, Ingleborough with the constellation of Auriga and the bright star Capella, and Penyghent, with Perseus and the Pleiades. Credit: Pete Collins<\/figcaption><\/figure>

High up at the very top of the sky is the stunning yellow Capella <\/strong>(mag. 0.05) in the constellation Auriga<\/strong><\/a>.An interesting thing about Capella is that it\u2019s been there all along.<\/p>

It\u2019s the northernmost first-magnitude star, so far north that it\u2019s circumpolar<\/em> at the UK\u2019s latitudes. That means it doesn\u2019t rise and set like most other stars.<\/p>

Instead, it\u2019s in the sky every night of the year, where it appears to circle around Polaris, the North Star (for more on this, read our guide on how to find the North Star<\/a>.).<\/p>

Though we tend to think of Capella as a wintertime star, look low to the northern horizon in July. You\u2019ll see it\u2019s there then too (and is, incidentally, also one of my favourite summer stars<\/a>).<\/p>

Brightest star tonight?<\/strong><\/h2>

The brightest star in the night sky tonight is one of three possibilities:<\/p>