Sirius is the brightest star visible from Earth. It can sometimes be seen during daylight hours under optimal conditions with a clear sky. The Sun is the star at the center of the solar system. It is a spherical mass of hot plasma and magnetic fields that is over 1 million kilometers in diameter and weighs 330,000 times more than Earth. Certain stars appear close to the Earth's axis of rotation and can be seen directly overhead from the North or South Pole, these are known as pole stars or the North Star.