Historical brightest stars Jocelyn Tomkin's 1998 list of the brightest star in Earth's night sky at each period within the last or next 5 million years Jocelyn Tomkin's 1998 list of the brightest star in Earth's night sky at each period within the last or next 5 million years

| Star | Start_year | End_year | Maximum_year | Maximum_magnitude | Distance_at_maximum_LY | Current_distance | Current_magnitude_ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Epsilon Canis Majoris | ... | -4460000 | -4700000 | -3.99 | 34 | 430 | 1.50 |
| Beta Canis Majoris | -4460000 | -3700000 | -4420000 | -3.65 | 37 | 500 | 1.99 |
| Canopus (first time) | -3700000 | -1370000 | -3110000 | -1.86 | 177 | 310 | -0.72 |
| Zeta Sagittarii | -1370000 | -1080000 | -1200000 | -2.74 | 8 | 89.1 | 2.60 |
| Zeta Leporis | -1080000 | -950000 | -1050000 | -2.05 | 5.3 | 70 | 3.55 |
| Canopus (second time) | -950000 | -420000 | -950000 | -1.09 | 252 | 310 | -0.72 |
| Aldebaran | -420000 | -210000 | -320000 | -1.54 | 21.5 | 65 | 0.85 |
| Capella | -210000 | -160000 | -240000 | -0.82 | 27.9 | 42.2 | 0.08 |
| Canopus (third time) | -160000 | -90000 | -160000 | -0.70 | 302 | 310 | -0.72 |
| Sirius (current) | -90000 | +210,000 | +60,000 | -1.64 | 7.8 | 8.6 | -1.46 |