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CMa
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Canis Majoris
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the Greater dog
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7
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−20
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380
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43rd
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5
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Sirius (α CMa)
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−146
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None
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"http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Puppis" class="copylinks">Puppis
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60
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90
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February
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(
Latin for ''the greater
Dog '') is one of the 88 modern
Constellation s, and was also in
Ptolemy 's list of 48 constellations. It is said to represent one of the dogs following
Orion the hunter (see also the constellations of
Orion ,
Canis Minor , and
Canes Venatici .) Canis Major contains
Sirius , the
Brightest Star in the night sky, and that star is part of the
Winter Triangle .
Canis Major's alpha star
Sirius is the brightest star besides the
Sun as seen from
Earth . It is also one of the
Nearest . The star's name means ''scorching'', since the summer heat occurred just after Sirius'
Heliacal Rising . The
Ancient Greeks referred to such times in the summer as ''dog days'', as only dogs would be mad enough to go out in the heat, leading to the star being known as the ''Dog Star''. Consequently, the constellation was named after it, as a ''Big Dog''.
Other named stars in Canis Major (all names from Arabic):
- β CMa : Murzim - "The Announcer"
- γ CMa : Muliphen
- δ CMa : Wezen - "The Weight"
- ε CMa : Adhara - "Virgins"
- ζ CMa : Furud - "Bright Single One"
- η CMa : Aludra
There aren't many bright
Deep Sky Object s in this region of sky. The only
Messier Object in Canis Major is
M41 (
NGC 2287 ), an
Open Cluster of
Visual Magnitude 4.6. It is located about 4 degrees directly south of Sirius. M41 is roughtly 2350 light years away from Earth, contains about 8,000 stars, and is about 24 light years in diameter. It is also noted for containing a number of K-class stars.
Canis Major Dwarf is a recently-discovered
Dwarf Galaxy orbiting the
Milky Way , in the constellation.
This constellation was known to the easterners from the time immemorial. In early European classical days, this constellation represented Laelaps,
Acteon 's hound; or sometimes the hound of Procris,
Diana's nymph; or the one given by
Aurora to Cephalus, so famed for its speed that
Zeus elevated it to the sky. Most commonly, Canis Major (or perhaps just the star Sirius) is Orion's hunting dog, pursuing
Lepus the
Hare or helping Orion fight
Taurus the
Bull , and is referred to in this way by
Aratos ,
Homer and
Hesiod . The
Ancient Greeks refer only to one dog, but by
Roman times,
Canis Minor appears as Orion's second dog.
Roman myth also refers to Canis Major as ''Custos Europae'', the dog guarding
Europa but failing to prevent her abduction by
Jupiter in the form of a bull; and as ''
Janitor Lethaeus '', the watchdog of
Hell .
Depending on the faintness of stars considered, Canis Major resembles a dog facing either above or below the
Ecliptic . When facing below, since Sirius was considered a dog in its own right, early greek mythology sometimes considered it to be two headed. As such, together with the area of the sky that is deserted (now considered as the new and extremely faint constellations
Camelopardalis and
Lynx ), and the other features of the area in the
Zodiac sign of
Gemini (i.e. the
Milky Way , and the constellations
Gemini ,
Orion ,
Auriga , and
Canis Minor ), this may be the origin of the myth of the cattle of
Geryon , which forms one of
The Twelve Labours of
Herakles .
The stars of the constellation Canis Major can be connected in an alternative way, which graphically shows a
Dog .
Stars
Alpha Canis Majoris ,
Nu Canis Majoris ,
Omicron1 Canis Majoris ,
Epsilon Canis Majoris ,
Sigma Canis Majoris ,
Delta Canis Majoris , and
Omicron2 Canis Majoris form the dog's body. Alpha Canis Majoris, also known as
Sirius , is of magnitude zero, whereas delta and epsilon Canis Majoris are of magnitude two, and omicron2 Canis Majoris is of magnitude three.
The big dog's front right paw is star
Beta Canis Majoris ; the dog's front left paw is the star
Xi Canis Majoris ; the dog's right hind paw is the star
Zeta Canis Majoris , and the dog's left hind paw is the star
Kappa Canis Majoris . Beta Canis Majoris is of the second magnitude, whereas zeta Canis Majoris is of the third magnitude.
The big dog's tail consists of stars
Omega Canis Majoris and
Eta Canis Majoris , with eta Canis Majoris being of the second magnitude.
Stars
Iota Canis Majoris ,
Gamma Canis Majoris , and
Theta Canis Majoris form the dog's
Head . All three of these stars are of the fourth magnitude.
- H. A. Rey, ''The Stars — A New Way To See Them''. Enlarged World-Wide Edition. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1997. ISBN 0-395-24830-2.
:Stars with proper names:
- (9/α CMa) −1.44 or '''Dog Star''' or '''''Aschere''''' or '''''Canicula''''' – brightest star; double; nearby
- : < sīrius < σείριος Brilliant
- : < الشعرى ''aš-ši’rā'' Sirius
- : < ''canīcula'' The dog
- ( 2/β CMa ) 1.98 Mirzim, ''Mirza''
- : < ? ''al-murzim'' The roarer (lion)/announcer Sirius
- ( 31/η CMa ) 2.45
- : < العذرة ''al-cuðrah'' Maidenhood
:Stars with Bayer designations:
::
14/θ CMa 4.08;
20/ι CMa 4.36;
13/κ CMa 4.36;
λ CMa 4.47;
6/ν1 CMa 5.71;
7/ν2 CMa 3.95;
8/ν3 CMa 4.42;
4/ξ1 CMa 4.34;
5/ξ2 CMa 4.54;
16/ο1 CMa 3.89;
24/ο2 CMa 3.02;
19/π CMa 4.66;
22/σ CMa 3.49;
30/τ CMa 4.37;
28/ω CMa 4.01
:Stars with Flamsteed designations:
::
10 CMa 5.23;
11 CMa 5.28;
12 CMa 6.07;
15 CMa 4.82;
17 CMa 5.80;
26 CMa 5.91;
27 CMa 4.42;
29/UW CMa 4.88
The
Astronomer Leslie Peltier had a
Dog named Canis Major.
