Sirius
Blue Giant
Star

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Sirius, Alpha Canis Majoris

Sirius, alpha Canis Majori, is the "Scorching Eye of the Big Dog:" the brightest star in our skies at apparent magnitude -1.46. Near the celestial equator, it is easy to spot and visible from most places on our planet. It lies only 8.8 light years away, and is the fifth closest star to us. At absolute brightness of +1.4, it is not nearly as intrinsically bright as Rigel, Deneb, Betelgeuse, Antares, or Adhara, all brighter stars but much further away. This X-ray image was taken with the ROSAT satellite.