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The 10th birthday star

Sirius

in Canis Major · about 8.6 light-years · HIP 32349

Someone turning 10 in 2026 was born in 2016. The light arriving tonight from Sirius left the star around 2018, two years after they were born. Look up on their 10th birthday and the light in their eyes is about as old as they are.

Find their exact star (free)Design a 10th birthday print

Hipparcos distances · by Mayukh Bagchi, founder & phd candidate in astronomy

The star

Sirius at a glance

Distance
8.6 ly
Light left
around 2018
Constellation
Canis Major
Brightness
mag -1.4
Highest at midnight
January
Catalogue
HIP 32349

How to find it

Sirius is one of the brightest stars in the sky. It sits in Canis Major and stands highest at midnight in January; a month or two either side it is up in the evening or before dawn.

  • · From New York: climbs to about 33° above the southern horizon
  • · From London: climbs to about 22° above the southern horizon
  • · From Sydney: climbs to about 73° above the northern horizon

Why this star, for 10

Light crosses one light-year in one year, so a star 8.6 light-years away shows you light that left it 8.6 years ago. Match that to an age and you have a birthday star. Sirius is the brightest named star within a year and a half of 10 light-years.

It stays their birthday star while they are between 6.0 and 10.1 years old. Every birthday adds a light-year, so next year's star may be a different one: the free finder uses the exact birth date.

Other named stars near 10 light-years

StarDistanceLight left
ProcyonCanis Minor11 ly2015
A framed star map with the birthday star ringed, lifted out of a gift box for a 10th birthday

A 10th birthday gift

Their star, ringed on the sky they were born under

Enter their birth date, time and birthplace in the designer and we draw that night's sky from the Hipparcos catalogue, then ring their birthday star in gold and name it under the date. Add a line of your own. It works for a 10th because the star is not a story: it is a distance and a date they can check.

  • · Framed from $79.99, ready to hang · prints from $39.99
  • · Digital $19.99: we can email it to them on their birthday with your note
  • · Or the Birthday Star Certificate, one printable page, $7.99
  • · Free Shipping on every print
Design it · framed from $79.99or send the digital file, $19.99or find their exact star first

Birthday stars for other milestones

Or start from the birthday star finder, the birthday star map page or all star map gifts.

Questions

10th birthday star questions

What is the 10th birthday star?
Sirius, in Canis Major. It is about 8.6 light-years away, so the light reaching Earth from it now left the star around 2018. For someone turning 10 in 2026, born in 2016, that is two years after they were born.
Is it the same star for everyone turning 10?
Close to it. The match uses age to the day, and Sirius is the birthday star for anyone between 6.0 and 10.1 years old. Someone a few months either side of their birthday may land on a neighbouring star. For an exact answer, enter their birth date in the free finder on the birthday star page.
Can you see Sirius with the naked eye?
Sirius shines at magnitude -1.4: one of the brightest stars in the sky. It stands highest at midnight in January. From New York it climbs to about 33° above the horizon; from Sydney, about 73°.
How accurate is 8.6 light-years?
The distance comes from the Hipparcos parallax catalogue, the same data the star charts on this site are drawn from. Parallax is very precise for the nearest stars and less so past about 100 light-years, which is why we round and say "about".
What is a good 10th birthday gift with their star?
Their birth-night sky with Sirius (or their exact birthday star) ringed and named under the date: a framed print from $79.99 with free shipping, a digital file ($19.99) we can email to them on the day, or the printable Birthday Star Certificate ($7.99).

Exact to the day

Find their birthday star, then give the night

Free finder. Digital from $19.99, prints from $39.99. Free Shipping on every print.

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