December 31, 2025: As New Year approaches, Sirius shines high in the southern sky. Learn when and where to find the brightest star of the night.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:18 a.m. CST; Sunset, 4:30 p.m. CST. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
Sirius on New Year’s Eve
As the New Year approaches near midnight, the night’s brightest star, Sirius, is about 30° above the southern horizon. Each year, it reaches its highest point in the southern sky near midnight.
Sirius is the brightest star in Canis Major, the Greater Dog, one of Orion’s hunting companions. It shines with a blue-white color. When it is low in the sky, atmospheric turbulence causes the starlight to refract into its component colors, producing rapid and colorful twinkling.
The Dog Star is over 20 times more luminous than the sun and shines from a distance of nearly 9 light-years. It is the tenth-closest star system to the solar system. Of the nine closer systems, only Alpha and Beta Centauri are visible without optical assistance.
Do not confuse Sirius with bright Jupiter, which is higher in the southeastern sky at this hour. The planet is over three times brighter than the star. The bright gibbous moon is also visible, in the west-southwest.
If you are a New Year’s reveler, step outside and look south before Auld Lang Syne plays.
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