Canis Minor

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Template:Infobox Constellation Canis Minor (Latin for smaller dog) is one of the 88 modern constellations, and was also in Ptolemy's list of 48 constellations. It is said to represent one of the dogs following Orion the hunter.

1 Notable features
2 Notable deep sky objects
3 Mythology
4 Stars
5 External links

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Notable features

Canis Minor is a small constellation mainly consisting of the two stars, Procyon (α CMi / Alpha Canis Minoris, 0.38^m) and Gomeisa (β CMi / Beta Canis Minoris), 2.9^m). Procyon is the eighth brightest star in the night sky. Procyon means "anterior dog" in Greek, as it rises before the Dog Star, Sirius, of Canis Major.

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Notable deep sky objects

Being such a small constellation, Canis Minor has no deep sky object brighter than 10 Mag.

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Mythology

Canis Minor was considered to be the smaller of the two hunting dogs of Orion. However, the ancient Greeks did not recognise it as a distinct constellation, and thus originally only considered Orion to have had one dog. See also the constellations of Orion and Canis Major.

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Stars

Stars with proper names:

(10/α CMi) 0.40 Procyon or Antecanis or Al Shira or Elgomaisa [Algomeysa] – double; nearby
< προκύον The fore-dog [before the Dog Star]
(3/β CMi) 2.89 Gomeisa [Algomeyla, Gomelza]
< الغميساء al-ghumaisa’ The bleary-eyed (woman)