Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.

Anonymous
Anonymous asked in Science & MathematicsAstronomy & Space · 9 years ago

two stars brighter than sirius?

i know sirius is the brightest star in the sky but to the right of orion's belt there are two stars that are much larger and brighter than sirius.. can anybody explain this to me?

5 Answers

Relevance
  • 9 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    Those are the planets Venus and Jupiter. So technically they aren't stars. And they aren't always seen to the right of Orion because their orbital motion is always changing their positions against the background of stars.

  • You are looking at Jupiter (the dimmer, higher in the sky one) and Venus (the brighter, slightly lower one). Over the next month or so Jupiter and Venus will trade places.

    Basically things in the sky in order of their brightness are:

    Sun

    Moon

    Venus

    Jupiter

    Saturn

    Sirius

    Mars

    Canopus

    ...

  • GeoffG
    Lv 7
    9 years ago

    Currently, the planets Venus and Jupiter are to the right of Orion. They are approaching each other and will be in conjunction on March 15, a very pretty sight. Look for Mercury below and to the right of them.

  • 9 years ago

    Perhaps its time for a musical moment:

    "Stellar...ium!"

    Stellar...ium!

    It's better than an aquarium!

    Cause you can't find stars underwater

    Says my daughter,

    That's what I taught her,

    Look east in the night,

    If your monitor's not to bright

    You'll see Jupiter and Venus

    <next line censored, due to no good rhymes for Venus>

    If stars are what you think about,

    Go Ahead And Use Caps, Just Don't SHOUT,

    And ask us all again,

    Someday!"

    thank you

  • How do you think about the answers? You can sign in to vote the answer.
  • ?
    Lv 5
    9 years ago

    They are not stars. The western most (brighter of the two) is Venus and the other is Jupiter.

Still have questions? Get your answers by asking now.