The constellation of Canis Major, the Greater Dog // E. Slawik/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/M. Zamani
Click below for some information about this dog, its stars, and an annotated image!
Canis Major, which is Latin for "greater dog," is one of the original 48 constellations set down by Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century. It is probably most famous for containing Sirius (α Canis Majoris), the brightest star in the night sky.
In Greek mythology, Canis Major is the dog Laelaps, a gift from Zeus to one of his lovers, Europa. Or maybe it is the dog of Procris, an Athenian princess. Or maybe the dog given to Aurora by Cephalus, a dog so famed for its speed that Zeus placed it in the sky.
In the mythology of the skies, it's usually assumed to be one of Orion's hunting dogs, pursuing Lepus the Hare or helping Orion fight Taurus the Bull.
In order of brightness, the named stars in Sirius are:
Sirius (α Canis Majoris), the brightest star in the night sky. This is a binary star system, consisting of a blue-white giant and a white dwarf, about 8.5 light years away. Sirius is bright because it is intrinsically bright and it is very close to us. It is slowly moving closer to us, reaching closest proximity in about 60,000 years where it will assume a new role as the Southern Pole Star. It will remain the brightest star in the night sky for the next 210,000 years until Vega (α Lyrae) overtakes it. Its name comes from the Greek word seirios meaning "glowing" or "scorcher."
Adhara (ε Canis Majoris) is a binary star system consisting of at least one blue giant star. The entire system lies about 410 light years away. Its name comes from the Arabic word aðāra meaning "virgins."
Wezen (δ Canis Majoris) is a solitary yellow-white supergiant star about 1,600 light years away. Its name comes from the Arabic word al-wazn meaning "weight."
Mirzam (β Canis Majoris) is a solitary blue giant star about 490 light years away. Its name comes from the Arabic word al-mirzam meaning "the announcer" or "the herald," since it rises before Sirius in the night sky.
Aludra (η Canis Majoris) is a solitary blue supergiant star about 2,000 light years away. This star is very young, only about 10 million years old, and is already near the end of its life. Its name comes from the Arabic word al-adhraa meaning "the virgin."
Furud (ζ Canis Majoris) is a binary star system consisting of at least one blue giant star. The entire system lies about 362 light years away. Its name comes from the Arabic word al-furūd meaning "the solitary ones." This was a term Arabic poets used for anonymous "solitary stars," and was later given to this star as its name.
Nganurganity (σ Canis Majoris) is a solitary red supergiant star about 1,290 light years away. It is also a variable star. Its name comes from the Boorong people of Australia and is their word for the Jacky lizard.
Muliphein (γ Canis Majoris) is a blue giant star about 430 light years away. Its name comes from the Arabic word muħlifayn meaning "two [things] causing dispute and the swearing of an oath."
Amadioha (HD 43197) is a Sun-like star about 204 light years away. It has two confirmed exoplanets orbiting it, one about half the mass of Jupiter, and another almost 8 times the mass of Jupiter, the former of which is named Equiano. Both names were given by the people of Nigeria: Amadioha is the god of thunder in Igbo mythology, while Equiano refers to Nigerian writer and abolitionist Olaudah Equiano.
Atakoraka (WASP-64) is a Sun-like star about 1,177 light years away. It has one confirmed exoplanet orbiting it, just over the mass of Jupiter, named Agouto. Both names were given by the people of Togo: Atakoraka refers to the Atacora, the largest mountain range in Togo, and Agouto refers to Mount Agou, the highest mountain in Togo.
The band of the Milky Way goes through Canis Major, so many open clusters are visible here, including the Little Beehive Cluster (M41) and Caroline's Cluster (NGC 2360). Two bright nebulae are here too: Thor's Helmet (NGC 2359) and the Dolphin Head Nebula (Sh2-308).
