List of brightest stars | Sirius, Alpha Centauri, Magnitudes, & Constellations | Britannica
Sirius Sirius A and B (lower left) photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope. Sirius A is the brightest star in the night sky.
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Written by
Erik Gregersen
Fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
These are the 26 brightest stars as seen from Earth, listed in descending order of brightness. The list includes each star’s apparent magnitude and constellation (except for the Sun). Astronomical magnitude is on a scale in which smaller magnitudes are brighter than larger magnitudes.