List of brightest stars

Below are the 52 brightest individual stars in order of their average apparent magnitudes in the visible spectrum as seen from Earth.

To the naked eye on a clear dark night, in a place far from cities and lights, the total number of stars visible is about 9000. This is not the same as a list of the brightest stars as seen with the naked eye, because close binary or multiple star systems will appear as a single star brighter than their individual components. The binary system Alpha Centauri has an apparent magnitude of -0.27, but the brightest individual star is Alpha Centauri A with the apparent magnitude as listed here of -0.01. Hence Alpha Centauri is the third brightest star in the night sky, whilst its brightest component Alpha Centauri A is the fourth brightest individual star.

	V Mag. (m)	Bayer designation	Proper name	Distance (ly)	Spectral class	SIMBAD
0	0.000−26.74		(Sun)	0.000 016	G2 V
1	0.001−1.46	α CMa	Sirius	0008.6	A1 V	Sirius A
2	0.003−0.72	α Car	Canopus	0310	F0 Ia	Canopus
3	0.004−0.27	α Cen AB (α1 Cen)	Alpha Centauri	0004.4	G2 V/K1 V	Alpha Centauri A
4	0.003−0.04 var	α Boo	Arcturus	0037	K1.5 III	Arcturus
5	0.03	α Lyr	Vega	0025	A0 V	Vega
6	0.08	α Aur	Capella	0042	G8 III, G1 III	Capella A
7	0.12	β Ori	Rigel	0860	B8 Iab	Rigel
8	0.34	α CMi	Procyon	0011	F5 IV-V	Procyon
9	0.42 var	α Ori	Betelgeuse	0640	M2 Iab	Betelgeuse
10	0.50	α Eri	Achernar	0140	B3 Vpe	Achernar
11	0.60	β Cen	Hadar, Agena	0350	B1 III	Hadar (Agena)
12	0.77	α Aql	Altair	0017	A7 V	Altair
13	0.77	α Cru	Acrux	0320	B1 V	Acrux A
14	0.85 var	α Tau	Aldebaran	0065	K5 III	Aldebaran
15	0.96	α2 Aur	Capella B	0042	G1 III	Capella B
16	1.04	α Vir	Spica	0260	B1 III-IV, B2 V	Spica
17	1.09 var	α Sco	Antares	0600	M1.5 Iab-b	Antares
18	1.15	β Gem	Pollux	0034	K0 IIIb	Pollux
19	1.16	α PsA	Fomalhaut	0025	A3 V	Fomalhaut
20	1.25	α Cyg	Deneb	1,550	A2 Ia	Deneb
21	1.30	β Cru	Mimosa, Becrux	0350	B0.5 IV	Mimosa
22	1.35	α Leo	Regulus	0077	B7 V	Regulus
23	1.51	ε CMa	Adara	0430	B2 Iab	Adara
24	1.58	α Gem	Castor	0052	A1 V, A2 Vm	Castor
25	1.62	λ Sco	Shaula	0700	B1.5-2 IV+	Shaula
26	1.63	γ Cru	Gacrux	0088	M4III	Gacrux
27	1.64	γ Ori	Bellatrix	0240	B2 III	Bellatrix
28	1.68	β Tau	El Nath	0130	B7 III	El Nath
29	1.68	β Car	Miaplacidus	0110	A2 IV	Miaplacidus
30	1.70	ε Ori	Alnilam	1,300	B0 Iab	Alnilam
31	1.70	ζ Ori A	Alnitak	0820	O9 Iab	Alnitak A
32	1.74	α Gru	Alnair	0100	B7 IV	Al Na'ir
33	1.76	ε UMa	Alioth	0081	A0pCr	Alioth
34	1.78	γ2 Vel	Suhail, Regor	0840	WC8 + O7.5e	Gamma2 Velorum
35	1.79	α UMa	Dubhe	0120	K0 III, F0 V	Dubhe
36	1.80	ε Sgr	Kaus Australis	0140	B9.5 III	Kaus Australis
37	1.82	α Per	Mirfak	0590	F5 Ib	Mirfak
38	1.84	δ CMa	Wezen	1,800	F8 Ia	Wezen
39	1.85	η UMa	Benetnasch, Alkaid	0100	B3 V	Benetnasch (Alkaid)
40	1.86	θ Sco	Sargas	0270	F1 II	Sargas
41	1.86	ε Car	Avior	0630	K3 III, B2 Vp	Avior
42	1.90	γ Gem	Alhena	0100	A0 IV	Alhena
43	1.91	α Pav	Peacock	0180	B2 IV	Peacock
44	1.92	α TrA	Atria	0420	K2 IIb-IIIa	Atria
45	1.96	δ Vel	Koo She	0080	A1 V, F2-F5	Delta Velorum
46	1.97 var	α UMi	Polaris	0430	F7 Ib-II	Polaris
47	1.98	β CMa	Mirzam	0500	B1 II-III	Murzim
48	1.98	α Hya	Alphard	0180	K3 II-III	Alphard
49	2.00	α Ari	Hamal	0066	K2IIICa-1	Hamal
50	2.01	γ1 Leo	Algieba	0130	K0 IIIb, G7 IIICN	Algieba
51	2.02	β Cet	Diphda	0096	K0 III	Diphda Archived 2023-04-06 at the Wayback Machine
52	2.04	ζ UMa	Mizar	0083	A2 Vp, A2 Vp, Am 53	Mizar