When you look up at the night sky, one star shines brighter than all the rest. This star is named Sirius, and it’s twice as big as the sun. No wonder it shines so brightly!
Sirius the star has nothing to do with being serious! In fact, it gets its name from the Greek word “Seirios,” which means “scorching,” or burning. Sirius is also sometimes called the Dog Star, since it’s part of a constellation—or group of stars—named Canis Major (the Big Dog).
Sirius can best be seen at night during the winter through the mid-spring. Sirius looks white or bluish white in the night sky.
Further Information
Sirius is actually made up of two stars called Sirius A and Sirius B. Sirius A is the main star and the brighter of the two. Sirius B is a small star called a white dwarf. It was once bigger like Sirius A, but it swelled up, then began shrinking, cooling and fading. Sirius A and Sirius B are always moving around one another. Together they appear as one star in our sky!
