Sirius

Sirius, also known as Alpha Canis Majoris, is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (the Big Dog) and the brightest star in the night sky after the Sun.

It is a hot, blue-white A-class star located just 8.6 light-years from Earth. Sirius is about twice the size of our Sun. Its intense brightness and low position in the sky often create shimmering flashes of color as it twinkles.

J.K. Rowling used the name Sirius for a character in her books because the star is nicknamed "the Dog Star."

Sirius has a faint white dwarf companion called Sirius B, located about 10 arcseconds away. Astronomers nicknamed it "The Pup." A white dwarf is the extremely hot core of a star that has stopped fusing hydrogen, shed its outer layers, and left behind a glowing remnant.