Canis Minor
| Constellation | |
 List of stars in Canis Minor |
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| Abbreviation | CMi |
|---|---|
| Genitive | Canis Minoris |
| Pronunciation | /ˌkeɪnɨs ˈmaɪnər/, genitive /ˈkeɪnɨs mɨˈnɒrɨs/ |
| Symbolism | the lesser Dog |
| Right ascension | 8 h |
| Declination | +5° |
| Quadrant | NQ2 |
| Area | 183 sq. deg. (71st) |
| Main stars | 2 |
| Bayer/Flamsteed stars |
14 |
| Stars with planets | 0 |
| Stars brighter than 3.00m | 2 |
| Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly) | 4 |
| Brightest star | Procyon (α CMi) (0.38m) |
| Nearest star | Procyon (α CMi) (11.41 ly, 3.50 pc) |
| Messier objects | 0 |
| Meteor showers | Canis-Minorids |
| Bordering constellations |
Monoceros Gemini Cancer Hydra |
| Visible at latitudes between +90° and −75°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of March. |
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Canis Minor (
/ˌkeɪnɨs ˈmaɪnər/) is a small constellation. It was included in the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy's 48 constellations, and is still included among the 88 modern constellations. Its name is Latin for "smaller dog" in contrast to Canis Major, the larger dog, and it is commonly represented as one of the dogs following the constellation of Orion the hunter.
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[edit] Notable features
Canis Minor is a small constellation containing only two bright stars, Procyon (α CMi, 0.38m) and Gomeisa (β CMi, 2.9m). Procyon is the seventh brightest star in the night sky, as well as one of the closest. Procyon means "before the dog" in Greek, as it rises an hour before the 'Dog Star', Sirius, of Canis Major.
Canis Minor has no deep sky object brighter than magnitude 15.
[edit] History and mythology
Canis Minor is sometimes connected with the Teumessian Fox, a beast turned into stone with its hunter, Laelaps, by Zeus, who placed them in heaven as Canis Major (Laelaps) and Canis Minor (Teumessian Fox).[1]
[edit] Equivalents
In Chinese astronomy, the stars corresponding to Canis Minor lie in the The Vermillion Bird of the South (南方朱雀, Nán Fāng Zhū Què).[2]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3,192.
- ^ (Chinese) AEEA (Activities of Exhibition and Education in Astronomy) 天文教育資訊網 2006 年 7 月 16 日
- Ian Ridpath and Wil Tirion (2007). Stars and Planets Guide, Collins, London. ISBN 978-0007251209. Princeton University Press, Princeton. ISBN 978-0691135564.
[edit] External links
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