Interesting Canis Major Facts: Learn About This Constellation

There are millions of bright stars in the Milky Way and some of them create constellations.

Canis Major is one of the constellations that brighten up the night sky. It is far away from our Solar System and yet shines brightly!

Canis Major, also known as Canis Majoris, is a constellation that appears in the night sky. It is not one of the 12 zodiac constellations that appear in the night.

However, it contains the brightest star of the night sky. Understandably, this constellation is thousands of light-years away and is very old. The average age of the constellation is estimated to be of around 2.2 billion years.

The brightest star in Canis Majoris is also the brightest star in the night sky and is called Sirius. It is also referred to as the dog star and it is common to refer to the constellation as the dog star cluster.

This is because Canis Majoris appears as a dog standing on its hind legs.

As the name of the constellation might reveal, it has some mythological significance attached to it. Let's learn more about the name of Canis Major, how it came to being, and about the main stars of the constellation!

Importance And Significance of Canis Major

Canis Major or Canis Majoris is one of the most interesting constellations in the night sky. It is the 43rd largest constellation and has Sirius, which is the brightest star.

Canis Majoris contains many stars, white dwarfs, and red giants. Hence, it is quite a complex constellation.

The significance of the constellation can be found both in terms of mythology and astronomy. Many of the white dwarfs that appear in Canis Major are of ultimate significance to people interested in astronomy, which is why the constellation has remained a topic of discussion in learned circles through all these years.

The Canis Major dwarf galaxy was discovered quite recently, in 2o03. Estimates show that this dwarf galaxy consists of nearly a billion stars and maybe the closest galaxy to our Solar System, as per recent studies. It is an irregular galaxy and is about 25,000 light-years away from us - which is quite far away, to say the least!

History Of Canis Major

Canis Major or Canis Majoris is one of the many constellations that were found by the pioneer, Ptolemy. This constellation was named after its dog-like appearance. It is among the 48 constellations that Ptolemy found and is known for having the brightest star in the night sky.

The Canis Major Dwarf galaxy, on the other hand, was discovered in 2003 and has been a matter of interest for scientists all over the world ever since.

Canis Major also has some mythological importance attached to it. The name essentially means 'the greater dog', which is a reference to Orion's dogs. According to popular stories in mythology, one of the dogs was larger than the other. The constellation is thus a part of the Orion family, alongside Canis Minor and Orion.

There are quite a few versions of the mythological stories surrounding Canis Major. Ancient Mesopotamian tablets that date back to 1100 BCE have mentions of this constellation, which shows us that the world has had knowledge of such a group of stars for a long time.

In Greek mythology, it is believed that Zeus gave a dog named Laelaps to Europa as a gift. At the same time, she was also given a javelin.

Unfortunately, this was the same javelin that eventually killed her. While Cephalus was out hunting, he miscalculated a throw and the javelin pierced Europa. After her death, Laelaps came under Cephalus' guidance.

Since Laelaps is also known to have been the fastest dog ever, Cephalus took him hunting. On one of such trips, he was hunting for either a fox or a hare. The details of the animal being hunted are unclear.

As Laelaps ran after this animal at a tremendous speed, Zeus was ultimately forced to turn both the animals to stone. The Greek God then placed Laelaps, set in stone, in the night sky as a group of stars which we see as Canis Majoris.

In another version of the story, Jupiter keeps Laelaps for Europa's protection. Jupiter previously abducts Europa in the disguise of a white bull. She later becomes the inspiration behind the naming of Europe.

Stars In Canis Major

There are many stars in the Canis Major constellation. Some of the major ones are Sirius, Adhara, Wezen, Murzim, Aludra, Tau Canis Majoris, Phurud, and Muliphein.

These stars form the main structure of the dog. Sirius being the brightest star in this constellation gives one of its popular names.

People commonly refer to this constellation as 'the dog with the blazing face'. This is due to the placement of Sirius, which appears at the dog's jaw. This star is around 25 times as luminous as our sun.

At the same time, it also has twice the amount of mass as the sun. It is also referred to as the dog star since it is found in the 'Greater Dog' constellation.

Adhara is the second brightest star in Canis Major and is named after the Arabic word that means 'virgins.' It is known as the 24th brightest star on Earth's horizon at nighttime.

Wezen or Delta Canis Majoris is set to become a red supergiant in the near future. It is a supergiant at the present time and is estimated to be around 10 million years of age!

Murzim or Beta Canis Majoris is a blue-white giant. On the other hand, Aludra or Eta Canis Majoris is set to go supernova in the near future. Tau Canis Majoris is a binary star that appears in this Southern Hemisphere constellation.

Phurud or Zeta Canis Majoris is a binary star while Muliphein is a blue-white-B-type right giant.

Canis Major also consists of deep-sky objects, some of which are Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy, Messier 41, NGC 2359, and NGC 2207 and IC 2163. Messier 41 consists of about 100 stars and the brightest one amongst them is a K-3 type giant.

The Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy, on the other hand, is located around 25,000 light-years away from the sun and maybe the closest galaxy to ours.

The NGC 2359 is located 15,000 light-years away from earth and is also known as Thor's Helmet. NGC 2207 and IC 2163 are spiraling galaxies that have been pulling each other in.

Distance And Size of Canis Major

Since Canis Major is made up of many stars, there is no fixed distance of the constellation from the Earth. The closest main star of the constellation is over eight light-years away.

On the other hand, the farthest one is close to 2,000 light-years away from us. The average distance of the main stars from Earth is a little over 800 light-years.

Canis Major constellation is located around 42,000 light-years away from the Galactic Center and is quite difficult to observe. This is because of the plane of sight of the Milky Way. Tau Canis Majoris, which is a deep sky object in Canis Major, is located 3,200 light-years away from us.

FAQs

Is Canis Major the biggest star?

The biggest star of Canis Major is Sirius, which also happens to be the brightest star in the night sky. This star has a mass that is twice that of the sun.

Canis Major or Canis Majoris is a binary system and is often called the 'dog with the blazing face'. This is because Sirius appears at the jaw of the dog in the constellation.

Is Canis Major a zodiac constellation?

After the sun sets, a group of 12 zodiac constellations appears in the night sky. Canis Majoris is not one of those 12 zodiac constellations. It is an eclipsing interacting binary star cluster and belongs to the Orion family.

What is the story behind Canis Major?

There are two variations of mythological stories behind Canis Major or Canis Majoris. The first version is that there was a dog named Laelaps, who was the fastest one to ever exist.

Zeus gifted this dog to Europa along with a javelin which also had magnificent powers. However, Europa was killed by the javelin through one of Cephalus' miscalculated throws.

After his wife's death, Cephalus had possession of the dog and went on a hunting trip to kill one of the miscreant foxes of Boeotia. Like hunting dogs of the modern-day would do, Laelaps ran after the fox and kept running at such a speed that Zeus had to step in and turn both the animals into stone.

He placed the stone version of Laelaps in the sky as the 'dog star'. Hence, Canis Majoris came into being.

The other version of the story is quite different, although it essentially features the same characters. In the second version, Laelaps chases a hare instead of a fox; and he was given to Europa for her protection.

How did the Canis Major get its name?

Canis Major or Canis Majoris is named after the two hunting dogs that Orion had. Being the bigger of the two dog star clusters in the southern sky, this constellation was named Canis Majoris, while the other one was named Canis Minor.

How old is Canis Major?

According to extensive studies carried out in the matter, the average age of Canis Major is about 2.2 billion years. This constellation is thousands of light-years away from us, however, this has no impact on the way that it shines in the night sky and adorns it.