How to identify a star that's visible in the sky

If I go out on my balcony I can see a really bright star in the southern sky.

Anyone got any tips for how to find out what this star is?

I've been trying to use Google Earth sky mode but can't figure out how to make it show me what's visible in the sky now from my position.

(Note: I'm in Tokyo).

Probably Venus if that is visible at this time

If I'm guessing right it's now about midnight in Tokio, which is way too late for Venus (which is an evening star at present, but will only be visible for half-an-hour or so after sundown). If the star is really bright then one possibility would be Sirius, which is the brightest (normal) star in the sky, if so you should be able to see the three stars in Orion's belt pointing down at it at about 45° up to the right. (no idea when Orion should be visible in Tokio, at the moment).

Another possibility could be Jupiter, but again, I've no idea where Jupiter is, at present.

Edit, just looked up Your Sky using the co-ords 36°N and 141°E, which I hope is correct for Tokio Japan (it's surprising how many Tokios there are!) and Jupiter is indeed clearly visible in the middle of the sky looking South-West. According to that map, Orion is not visible from Tokio, at the moment, which rules Sirius out.

That could be applied to me, too!

Does this star set shortly after sunset? If so, it could be Venus. Otherwise, it may be Jupiter or Sirius (the brightest star in the sky). There was a time in my life when I'd have been able to give you a definitive answer on the spot, since I was aware of where the stars were at all times, but I haven't been paying attention in quite awhile.

If you go to your local telescope shop, you can pick up a star chart that's appropriate for your latitude. Alternatively, I bet you can probably find a star chart online in which you can input your latitude.

Thanks for the tips. I'll check it out tonight.

No, I could still see it long after sunset (I posted at 10:43pm local time).

In Google Earth:

1. Switch to "Sky" mode.

2. Deselect "Welcome to Sky" in the Layers menu on the left.

3. Switch to "Earth", zoom in to Tokyo, then switch back to "Sky"

Bob's ya muvvaz bruvva.

No shit? So that little thing in your profile ain't lying?

You talkin' about mating calls, maen!

Just name it K-Pax and claim that you are from there.

Well, it's a known fact that many people on TT have trouble reading. Perhaps I should have expected more of the people who read the "Space" forum.

Anyway, here's an image generated by the YourSky site that was linked in one of the answers above. Looks like the "star" that I could see is actually Jupiter.

I've noticed this bright "star" too, towards the south around midnight - 1 a.m., and figured out it must be Jupiter, as follows:

First of all, it's too bright to be a star - much brighter even than Sirius which is the brightest star in the sky. And in any case (someone correct me if I'm wrong) I think Sirius isn't visible at this time of year. At least, I think the constellation of Orion, which is near Sirius, isn't visible now. Moreover, stars twinkle, and our mystery object doesn't.

So, ruling out stars and UFOs, the best bet is that it's a planet. Now, of the planets visible to the naked eye, only three achieve that kind of brightness: Mars, Venus and Jupiter. Mars is easily identifiable by its pinkish-orange colour, and this object is white, so that rules Mars out. Venus viewed from Earth is never seen too far away from th e Sun, i.e. in the west or south-west after sunset, or in the east or south-east before sunrise. This object is in the south around midnight, so it can't be Venus. That leaves only one possibility - Jupiter.

You're right. Sirius is cowering behind the sun or at least very close to it. It's why they call them the Dog Days.

the conjunction Mars, Saturn and Jupiter are visible now. Jupiter is very bright, so I would say that is what you are seeing. I am waiting for the night skies to clear up to take out my telescope, so hopefully in few days I will be sure. BTW the Meteor Shower is very active now, and will peak on Aug. 12, worth to sit out and enjoy the fireworks