Which constellation contains the brightest star in the night sky (Sirius)?

Which constellation contains the brightest star in the night sky, Sirius? Canis Major contains Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.

Canis Major is Latin for “greater dog,” and traditional sky maps portray it as one of the dogs following Orion, the hunter. Sirius is designated Alpha Canis Majoris and is often called the Dog Star. Its apparent magnitude is about −1.46, making it almost twice as bright as Canopus, the next-brightest star in the night sky.

Sirius looks exceptionally bright for two reasons: it is intrinsically luminous and relatively close to Earth, at roughly 8.6 light-years. It is not a single star, but a binary system consisting of Sirius A and the much fainter white dwarf Sirius B. The pair orbit each other approximately every 50 years.

The constellation itself contains other notable stars, including Adhara, Wezen and Mirzam. A frequent mistake is choosing Canis Minor because it is also one of Orion’s dogs; Canis Minor contains Procyon, not Sirius.