Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky and is located in the constellation Canis Major. Also called the Dog Star, Sirius is 8.7 light-years from the sun with a mass 2.4 times that of the sun. Sirius is in fact a binary star system with a white dwarf companion. |
Sirius (the Dog Star) is the brightest star in the night sky and is located in the constellation Canis Major. At a distance of 8.6 light-years, Sirius is also one of the nearest stars to the Earth (see Star/Nearest). It is a main sequence star of spectral type A0 or A1 and has a mass about 2.4 times that of the sun. Sirius has a white dwarf companion which orbits it with a period close to 50 years. |
Sirius has a white dwarf companion which orbits it with a period close to 50 years.