The brightest stars can be seen in the southern hemisphere.

I'm pretty sure: it must be Venus. When you see it, it should be in the west of due north! Besides the sun and moon, Venus is the brightest star. It is usually -4m, and its brightness is amazing. Sometimes there are really good reasons to believe that it is an incandescent lamp. If you don't believe me, please look at the southwest one before 9 o'clock tonight (because this is the northern hemisphere) to see if the luminosity is similar.