Canis Major - The Big Dog

Learn about the constellation Canis Major - The Big Dog, location, facts, mythology, meteor showers and deep space objects.

Canis Major is one of the 88 modern constellations and was also in Ptolemy's list of 48 constellations.

Location: Northern Winter 7h RA -20° Dec

Canis Major's alpha star Sirius is the brightest star beside 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' helical 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.

Canis Major Mythology

It is said to represent one of the dogs following Orion the hunter. Canis Major contains Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, and that star is part of the Winter Triangle.

Canis Major Deep Space Objects

The only Messier object is M41 (NGC 2287), an open cluster with a combined visual magnitude of 4.5.

In this table, the observation month represents the month in which the object reaches its highest point in the sky. It can also be viewed a few months before and after depending on your location. Direction is the compass direction in which the object is located, with Z meaning Zenith or overhead.