Here are the 25 brightest stars, after the Sun, each listed by its common name, constellation in which it can be
found, and hemisphere from which it is visible:
Take your time as you cruise the cosmos. Pick out a few of the brightest stars and study the stars near them. Use
the constellations to guide you to the dimmer stars that can easily escape the casual observer.
For easier star watching, you will need to give your eyes time to adjust to the darkness. Astronomers call this
becoming dark-adapted. You will see best after about 20 minutes in the dark. Care should be taken not to look
directly at the bright projection lamp inside your planetarium, so you don’t ruin your night vision.
How to Find the Visible Planets
Officially, there are eight planets in our solar system and the newly-classified dwarf planet, Pluto. Four can be
seen without the aid of a telescope or binoculars: Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. (Mercury stays close to the
Sun, so it is very difficult to see. Uranus, Neptune and the dwarf planet Pluto are too far away to see without a
telescope.) As they move in the sky throughout the year, each appears to pass through certain constellations (the
twelve zodiac constellations plus four others) at any given time. This makes it easy to find them.
The planet position tables on the following pages show you where to locate the visible planets. Look at how much
a planet changes position and compare that to the planet’s distance from the sun. Notice that the planets farthest
from the Sun change position more slowly than the planets closer to the sun. Jupiter spends about a year drifting
through a zodiac constellation, while Saturn takes two years. Meanwhile, Mars and Venus go speeding through the
zodiac constellations.
Learn More About Astronomy
If you want to learn more about the exciting subject of astronomy, check out your school’s library, your local public
library, or a book store. Astronomers are constantly making new discoveries of the universe. The Internet is a great
place to stay up to date.
Rank Name Constellation Hemisphere
1. Sirius Canis Major N & S
2. Canopus Carina S
3. Alpha Centauri Centauri S
4. Arcturus Boôtes N & S
5. Vega Lyra N & S
6. Capella Auriga N & S
7. Rigel Orion N & S
8. Procyon Canis Minor N & S
9. Achernar Eridanus S
10. Hadar Centauri S
11. Betelgeuse Orion N & S
12. Altair Aquila N & S
13. Aldebaran Taurus N & S
14. Acrux Crux S
15. Antares Scorpius N & S
16. Spica Virgo N & S
17. Pollux Gemini N & S
18. Fomalhaut Pisces Austrinis N & S
19. Deneb Cygnus N & S
20. Beta Crucis Crux S
21. Regulus Leo N & S
22. Adhara Canis Major N & S
23. Castor Gemini N & S
24. Shaula Scorpius S
25. Bellatrix Orion N & S
