Sirius

Sirius (Alpha Canis Majoris) is one of the brightest stars of the night sky. It is in the constellation Canis Major.

It has an apparent magnitude of -1.46, but it is not brighter in the sky than Jupiter (magnitude can reach -2.94).

Details
Sirius, known in ancient Egypt as Sopdet (Greek: Σῶθις = Sothis), is recorded in the earliest astronomical records.

Sirius is a binary star. It has a small companion, Sirius B, a white dawrf.

It is 8,5 light-years away, so one of the closest stars from Solar System.

Observation
It is visible from everywhere, even in a city. Snapshots are also possible, but the star will look smaller than Jupiter.