Canopus

Canopus is the second-brightest star in the night sky, located in the constellation Carina, and is easily visible from the Southern Hemisphere. It is a massive, luminous star about 310 light-years away from Earth. Canopus is classified as a supergiant, meaning it has expanded and cooled after exhausting the hydrogen in its core, resulting in a very large and bright star. Its brightness and position make it a useful navigation reference in the southern hemisphere. Despite its brilliance visible to the naked eye, it’s a distant, evolved star that provides insights into stellar evolution and the lifecycle of massive stars.