Canis Major

Canis Major

Constellation
List of stars in Canis Major
Abbreviation	CMa
Genitive	Canis Majoris
Pronunciation	/ˌkeɪnɪs ˈmeɪdʒər/, genitive /ˈkeɪnɪs məˈdʒɒrɪs/
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	Monoceros Lepus Columba Puppis
Visible at latitudes between 60° and −90°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of February. Contains VY Canis Majoris (one of the biggest stars), and Sirius (the brightest star in the night sky)

Sirius is 20 times brighter than the sun.

Map of the constellation

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 (compared to other stars). It also contains one of the largest stars known, VY Canis Majoris. VY Canis Majoris is around 1,500 times the size of the sun. The constellation also includes the blue bright giant star Aludra, yellow supergiant Wezen, and red giant Sigma Canis Majoris.