Canis Major facts for kids
| Constellation | |
List of stars in Canis Major
|
|
| Abbreviation | CMa |
|---|---|
| Genitive | Canis Majoris |
| Pronunciation | genitive |
| Symbolism | the greater dog |
| Right ascension | 7 |
| Declination | −20 |
| Quadrant | SQ2 |
| Area | 380 sq. deg. (43rd) |
| Main stars | 8 |
| Bayer/Flamsteed stars |
32 |
| Stars with planets | 6 |
| Stars brighter than 3.00m | 5 |
| Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly) | 1 |
| Brightest star | Sirius (α CMa) (−1.46m) |
| Messier objects | 1 |
| Meteor showers | None |
| Bordering constellations |
|
| Visible at latitudes between +60° and −90°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of February. |
|
Canis Major is a constellation that is in the southern sky. It means "greater dog" in Latin (also called large dog). There is also the constellation Canis Minor, which means "lesser dog" in Latin. The astronomer named Ptolemy listed Canis Major when he made a list of 48 constellations. It is also one of the 88 modern constellations that were made by the International Astronomical Union.
The star Sirius is in Canis Major. Sirius has a magnitude of -1.44, which means that it is the brightest star in the night sky. It is sometimes called the "dog star." Also, Sirius is only 8.6 light years away from Earth, which is very close.
Images for kids
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Sirius A, the brightest star in the night sky, lies in Canis Major.
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Canis Major as depicted on the Manuchihr Globe made in Mashhad 1632-33 AD. Adilnor Collection, Sweden.
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Canis Major, observed above Kuantan (north is towards top right)
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Canis Major as depicted in Urania's Mirror, a set of constellation cards published in London c.1825. Next to it are Lepus and Columba (partly cut off).
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Very Large Telescope image of the surroundings of VY Canis Majoris
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ESO 489-056 is an irregular dwarf galaxy, located 16 million light-years distant.
See also
In Spanish: Canis Maior para niños
