Sirius (Alpha Canis Majoris) is the brightest star
in the night sky.
Though considerably more luminous than the Sun, its brightness
is largely due to its nearness: it is the nearest star after
Alpha Centauri that is visible without a telescope,
and is the seventh nearest star/star system.
It is a binary star, Sirius A being
an Am star of absolute magnitude +1.43 and
Sirius B, a DA2-type star, a white dwarf with absolute
magnitude +11.18 and apparent magnitude of +8.44,
requiring a telescope to view.
They orbit in about 50 years.
Characteristics (Sirius A, which is the star one sees):