Canis Minor - The Little Dog

Canis Minor is a winter constellation located within the triangle formed by Betelgeuse in Orion, Sirius to the south, and Procyon, the brightest star in Canis Minor. To find Procyon, draw a line from Bellatrix to Betelgeuse - the shoulders of Orion - then continue outward about 30 degrees. Canis Minor can be seen between November and April in the southern sky.

History and Mythology

Canis Minor is the smaller of Orion's hunting dogs. He follows his master across the sky. The constellation has been associated with the dogs that tore the unsuspecting Actaeon to pieces when he came upon Artemis, the virgin goddess of the hunt. It was also the favorite dog of Helen of Troy, whose prayers for its immortality were answered when it was placed among the stars. It appears to be drinking from the Milky Way.

Notable Stars

Canis Minor has only two prominent stars, the 1st-magnitude star Procyon, and the 3rd magnitude Gomeisa. Procyon's name means "before the dog", referring to fact that Procyon rises slightly before the dog star Sirius. Procyon is the 8th brightest star in the sky. Like Sirius, Procyon has a faint white dwarf companion. However, it is 11th magnitude and only 5 arcseconds from Procyon, making it difficult to see in amateur telescopes. Procyon is also a nearby star, at 11.4 light years away, it is the 14th nearest star system to our own.

The Milky Way passes between Procyon in Canis Minor and Sirius in Canis Minor. An ancient Arab legend explains why these stars are separated. The two stars were young sisters who decided to follow their older brother into the fields one day, and soon became lost. When they approached a wide river in the sky - the Milky Way - the older sister, Sirius, jumped into the water and swam to the other side. Procyon, afraid of the water, stayed behind, and so was forever parted from her sister. Procyon's tears are said to add to the waters that cause the yearly flooding of the Nile.

Canis Minor has no star clusters, nebulae, or galaxies which are visible in small telescopes.