Symbolism: Small Dog
Neighbouring constellations: Orion (east), Canis Major (south), Gemini (north east), Cancer (north west), Hydra (south west)
Brightest star: Procyon, 0.34 magnitude (8th brightest star in the night sky)
Stars brighter than 3 magnitude: 2
Primary stars: 2 (Head and tail, although in good conditions 2 stars above the head are said to represent the ears)
Latitude: 13.22 degrees north – 00.36 degrees south
Northern Hemisphere Season: Winter (January – March)
The constellation Canis Minor is best observed on clear and moonless nights from December to May.43 Located in this constellation, the reddish star of the first magnitude Procyon attracts attention with its brightness. This constellation is located symmetrically to the constellation Orion with respect to the Milky Way. Near it are the constellations of Cancer, Hydra, Unicorn and Gemini.
Without the help of any instruments, up to 20 stars can be distinguished in this constellation at night, but the brightest are Procyon and Gomeiza (Zsh). The constellation Canis Minor does not have a characteristic geometric figure, and there are no objects in it that can be observed with the naked eye. It is interesting to note that Procyon is the second star, in which, based on Bessel's assumption, an invisible companion was discovered in 1896 - also a white dwarf, but its size is 10 times smaller than the size of the satellite of Sirius and the density is much higher. Observation of it is difficult even for astronomers.
mov-specialists with powerful telescopes.
Canis Minor is most commonly identified as one of the dogs following Orion, the hunter in Greek myth. In another legend, the constellation is said to represent Maera, the dog of the unlucky wine-maker Icarius. Icarius met his end at the hands of a group of shepherds to whom he had offered wine. The shepherds had never tasted wine before and thought Icarius had poisoned them.
Maera found Icarius’ body and ran to his daughter Erigone. Both the daughter and the dog were overwhelmed with grief and took their own lives. Zeus later placed their images in the sky. In this version of the myth, Icarius is associated with Boötes, the Herdsman, Erigone with the constellation Virgo, and Maera with Canis Minor.
Hyginus (Latin author who lived at the turn of the millennium) confused the myth somewhat in his writings. He wrote that the shepherds escaped to the island of Ceos and, as punishment for their misdeed, the island was stricken with sickness and famine, which were attributed to the searing Dog Star, Sirius. (Procyon is mistaken for Sirius here, the other “dog star,” located in Canis Major.)
When Aristaeus, King of Ceos asked the god Apollo, who was also his father, for advice on saving his people from starvation, he was told to pray to Zeus. Aristaeus did so and Zeus sent Etesian winds to the island. Every year, the myth goes, Etesian winds blow for 40 days and cool Greece and its islands during the Dog Days of summer. After Zeus had sent relief to Ceos, the priests instituted the custom of making ritual sacrifices to the gods every year before the rising of Sirius.
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A.Bosov - myths
