Canis Major Constellation Facts
Canis Major Star Map
Canis Major Facts
- Canis Major is a Latin phrase; the English meaning/translation is the big dog.
- Canis Major's pronunciation is Can-iss May-jore.
- The genitive form is Canis Majoris, which means any object with Canis Majoris at the end of its name infers a relationship to the constellation. Typically, the thing is within the constellation's boundaries or was once until it (the borders) was redrawn.
- Canis Major can be shortened or abbreviated to CMa. Canis Major constellation was created by the ancient astronomer Claudius Ptolemy, who lived in 2nd century Alexandria, Egypt.
- Canis Major (Constellation) takes up 380.118 sq. degrees of the night sky, equating to 0.92% of the night sky. Canis Major is the 43rd largest constellation in the night sky.
- Fifteen Extrasolar Planets in the Canis Major constellation are detailed on this site. There is a dedicated page for exoplanets in Canis Major.
- Charles Messier catalogued one deep-space object(s) within the Canis Major's boundary.
- The following constellations border Canis Major:-
Canis Major Stars
Here are a few facts about the stars in the constellation.
- Canis Major has six stars that make up the constellation's shape.
- The Hipparcos satellite scanned and detailed one thousand three hundred and seventy-one stars.
- You can see one hundred and sixty-two stars within the Canis Major constellation borders with the naked eye on a clear night sky.
- Sirius is Canis Major's nearest star, about 8.6 light-years from the Earth.
- The nearest star in Canis Major to the Earth with an exoplanet is Nu2 Canis Majoris, about 64.42 light-years away.
- VY Canis Majoris is Canis Major's largest star in the constellation.
VY Canis Majoris, Largest Star in Canis Major
VY Canis Majoris is one of the leading contenders for being the largest star in the galaxy. It was widely recognised as being the largest until it was unseated by the discovery of UY Scuti. Given the distance to the star, the exact size is unknown. The size we have is a best guess based on observations and calculations.
To indicate how big the star is, if the star were in our solar system instead of the sun, we would be inside it. The radius of VY Canis Majoris would stretch out as far as Jupiter.
Other Major Stars
This is a list of other stars that make up part of the constellation but have been detailed above yet. Other visible stars in the constellation can be found Canis Major Star List page.
| Name | Bayer | Spectral Type | Distance | Exoplanets |
| Mirzam | Beta Canis Majoris | B1II/III | 492.69 | |
| Muliphein | Gamma Canis Majoris | B8II | 441.96 | |
| Wezen | Delta Canis Majoris | F8Ia | 1606.72 | |
| Adhara | Epsilon Canis Majoris | B2II | 405.17 | |
| Aludra | Eta Canis Majoris | B5Ia | 1988.80 |
Interesting Fun Facts about Canis Major Constellation
- Sirius is not only the brightest star in Canis Major but also the brightest star in the night sky.
- Canis Major is the Big Dog, Canis Minor is the Small Dog.
Canis Major Mythology
Canis Major usually refers to one of Orion's hunting dogs who help him fight Taurus or pursuing Lepus the hare.
Deep Space Objects (e.g. Galaxies) in Canis Major Constellation
Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy
The Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy, also known as the Overdensity Galaxy is a Satellite Galaxy of our galaxy, The Milky Way. It is currently being merged into our galaxy. Our Solar System is closer to the Dwarf Galaxy than we are to the centre of the galaxy, known as Sagittarius A*.
Thors Helmet
Thor's Helmet is an Emission Nebula meaning that an internal source is lighting the gases and dust. You can see how the nebula gets its name with a little imagination. It may not look like Thor's helmet from the Marvel Universe but it does look like a helmet nevertheless.
Zodiac
Canis Major is not a member of the Zodiac group of twelve constellations that appear when the Sun sets. The Zodiac constellations are the ones astrologers use to predict a person's future based on their birth date.
Canis Major Constellation Distance From Earth
You cannot just go to one location and arrive in the Canis Major constellation, and this is because it is made up of stars at different positions and distances. The nearest main star (Sirius) in the constellation is at a distance of 8.60 light-years, and the furthest main star is Aludra, at a distance of 1,988.80 light-years. The average distance to the major stars is 823.99 light years. Main stars refer to the stars that make up the constellation outline.
Because of the distances of objects, we see how they looked in the past. To know how far back we are looking, take the amount and remove the word "Light", and you will get an idea of how long ago they looked like that. By now, the object may look different.