Sirius, often called the Dog Star, is the brightest star visible from Earth and is part of the constellation Canis Major. It has an apparent magnitude of -1.46, making it nearly twice as bright as the next brightest star, Canopus. This stellar system is located about 8.6 light-years away from Earth, making it one of our closest stellar neighbors (StarFacts) (The Planets).
The twinkling of Sirius, like other stars, is due to atmospheric distortion. As the light from Sirius passes through Earth's atmosphere, it is refracted by different air layers with varying temperatures and densities. This effect is more noticeable for Sirius because of its brightness and when it is observed low on the horizon, where the atmospheric distortion is greatest.
For a deeper dive into the details about Sirius and its significance, check out Sky & Telescope and The Planets.
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