What is the constellation Canis major?
He Canis Major (Canis Major) is one of the 88 constellations, and was also included in the list of 48 constellations of Ptolemy. It is said that it represents one of the dogs that follow Orion, the hunter.
Canis Major It contains Sirius, the star with the highest apparent magnitude in the night sky, which is part of the Winter Triangle of the Northern Hemisphere.
History and mythology of Canis Major
There are several identifications that have been proposed for Canis Major:
Laelaps, a dog that was gifted by Zeus in Europe, which was passed down to several later generations until it became the dog of Cephalus. During the chase of the Teumesian fox, he was turned by Zeus into stone and then placed among the constellations.
Orion’s dogwhich was placed in heaven at the same time as its owner, since it had always been by his side.
The dog Mera, by Icarius and Erigone. He found the lifeless bodies of their owners and with his lamentations he attracted people to bury them. Dionysus placed it among the constellations.
Canis Major: Main Stars
The star Sirius, whose name means «scorching» and also known as «the dog star», is the brightest in the night sky, surpassed only in apparent brightness by the Moon and the planets Venus, Jupiter and Mars. Because it is invisible during the boreal summer, it was formerly thought that its energy added to that of the Sun to produce the hottest days or «dog days» (canicular days).