Sirius
HR 2491 · HIP 32349 · α CMa
👁️ Naked-eye
📋 A written introduction is coming — for now this page shows official values only.
Star
- Apparent magnitude
- -1.46 mag
- Parallax
- 379.21 mas → about 8.6 light-years away
- Spectral type
- A0m...
- Right ascension
- 101.2872°
- Declination
- -16.7161°
- Designation
- HR 2491
- Bayer designation
- α CMa
- HIP number
- 32349
- IAU name adopted
- 2016-06-30
- Name language
- Greek
- Name origin (IAU)
- From its ancient Greek name Σείριος, "the Scorching one", or "Brilliant One", appropriate for this brightest of the fixed stars. Reapplied in Early Modern times.
Source:IAU Working Group on Star Names · checked 2026-11-02 ↗ESA Hipparcos Catalogue (ESA Gaia Archive) · checked 2026-11-03 ↗
Related
Constellation
In everyday life
- Light from this object takes about 8.6 years to reach Earth — the light you see tonight left around AD 2017 (official distance ÷ speed of light).
- At magnitude -1.5 it is bright enough for the naked eye (limit about 6) — look from somewhere dark.
- Declination -16.7° — it rises above the horizon in Seoul (37.6° N), so it is visible from Korea in the right season.