Richard Jack McCall, age 12, of Florence, South Carolina, for his question:

Which is the brightest star?

Without a doubt the champion is Sirius, alias the Dog Star, that sparkles in our skies on clear winter nights. It is easy to locate, if you remember that a parade of major constellations marches over the sky from east to west. The brightest winter constellation we see is Orion the Hunter. It catches your eye because its major stars are arranged like a long narrow diamond. Find Orion and pause a moment to admire its dazzling beauty.

Then trace a short distance backward along the heavenly parade, toward the east. The next bright star that catches your eye is Sirius, the brightest one we ever see. There are brilliant stars in the different constellations above the Southern Hemisphere. But Sirius outshines them all. It is the major star in the constellation Canis Mayor, the Big Dog. And on winter nights the sparkling Dog Star seems to snap at the heels of Orion the Hunter