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Canis Major
Canis Major—the Great Dog—is home to the brightest star in the night sky: Sirius. The ancient Egyptians and Greeks called this star “Sothis” (scorching) because of its brilliance, and developed a 12 month calendar based on its yearly reappearance in the sky. Canis Major is the constellation east of Orion, representing the hunter’s faithful dog. Sirius is found by following the line formed by Orion’s belt stars to the left.
Summing Up
It’s time to compare open star clusters to see which one has the most stars. First, try spotting the open cluster, M41 in Canis Major, south of the bright star, Sirius. Then find M37 in the constellation Auriga (the charioteer) by facing south and looking almost straight up (about 83 degrees above the horizon) at 9:06 on the 3rd. You’ll need a telescope or binoculars to determine roughly how many stars each cluster has.
Canis Major—the Great Dog—is home to the brightest star in the night sky: Sirius. The ancient Egyptians and Greeks called this star “Sothis” (scorching) because of its brilliance, and developed a 12 month calendar based on its yearly reappearance in the sky. Canis Major is the constellation east of Orion, representing the hunter’s faithful dog. Sirius is found by following the line formed by Orion’s belt stars to the left.
Summing Up
