Sirius the Dog Star

Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky.  Its name comes from the Greek Seirios that translates to “scorching” or “glowing”.  Just about right for the Dog Days of August, but more about that later.  Sirius is part of the Alpha Canis Majoris or Big Dog Constellation.  Conversely, in the southern hemisphere, it is winter and this star was used for navigation by the Polynesians.  In Egypt, sighting Sirius meant that it was just about the time the Nile would flood.  

Canis Major is a companion to Orion, the hunter.  The depiction is a dog upright on its hind legs.  It was once described as “the dog with a blazing face” because of its brightest star, Sirius, which is found in what would be the jaw of the dog.  The canine is often connected to chasing Lepus, the hare.  

In Greek mythology, as a gift Zeus gave Laelaps, the fastest dog ever, to Europa.  Zeus also presented Europa with a javelin that would never miss its target.  Europa was married to Cephalus and he took the dog and javelin to hunt a fox that was causing problems in Thebes.  Sadly, Cephalus made a miscalculation and speared Europa instead of the fox.  (That was a big OOPS!)  However, the dog found the fox and it appeared that the chase would never end.  Zeus decided it was over and turned both the animals to stone.  The dog became the constellation Canis Major.

If you want to find this dog constellation in the night sky, start with Orion’s belt.  Orion is fairly easy to spot because it is one of the brightest constellations.  He has a rectangle of four bright stars for his upper body and three bright stars to indicate his belt.  Start with those three stars and look to the west and find a very bright star.  That will be Sirius.

Because this constellation appears in the late summer sky and it is so hot at this time of the year, someone along the line decided that July 3 through August 11 would be called the “dog days”.  Perhaps because we are so dog gone tired of the heat??  

If you search the sky between December and March, you may be able to identify the Winter Hexagon, or Winter Circle.  This includes Sirius, Rigel, Aldebaran, Capella, Pollux/Castor, and Procyon.  The Winter Triangle is another group that has Sirius, Procyon, and Betelgeuse.

Sirius is one of the earth’s nearest neighbors, which is one of the reasons it is so bright.  In fact, as it moves closer to us, it will seem to increase in brightness.  However, that will happen over the next 60,000 years.

Fun Facts:

• Sirius is actually larger than our Sun.  It is also hotter than our Sun.  
• It is the closest star that we can see without the aid of a telescope.
• It was originally two blue stars.  Scientists think there is actually a third star, but this is unproven at this time.
• Sirius is one of the 27 stars on the Brazilian flag.
• Orion has another pal, Canis Minor, or Small Dog.  

So as you are out camping this summer, or sitting on the patio around the fire pit, look up to the sky and see if you can spot this big dog.

Sirius the Dog Star

Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky.  Its name comes from the Greek Seirios that translates to “scorching” or “glowing”.  Just about right for the Dog Days of August, but more about that later.  Sirius is part of the Alpha Canis Majoris or Big Dog Constellation.  Conversely, in the southern hemisphere, it is winter and this star was used for navigation by the Polynesians.  In Egypt, sighting Sirius meant that it was just about the time the Nile would flood.  

Canis Major is a companion to Orion, the hunter.  The depiction is a dog upright on its hind legs.  It was once described as “the dog with a blazing face” because of its brightest star, Sirius, which is found in what would be the jaw of the dog.  The canine is often connected to chasing Lepus, the hare.  

In Greek mythology, as a gift Zeus gave Laelaps, the fastest dog ever, to Europa.  Zeus also presented Europa with a javelin that would never miss its target.  Europa was married to Cephalus and he took the dog and javelin to hunt a fox that was causing problems in Thebes.  Sadly, Cephalus made a miscalculation and speared Europa instead of the fox.  (That was a big OOPS!)  However, the dog found the fox and it appeared that the chase would never end.  Zeus decided it was over and turned both the animals to stone.  The dog became the constellation Canis Major.

If you want to find this dog constellation in the night sky, start with Orion’s belt.  Orion is fairly easy to spot because it is one of the brightest constellations.  He has a rectangle of four bright stars for his upper body and three bright stars to indicate his belt.  Start with those three stars and look to the west and find a very bright star.  That will be Sirius.

Because this constellation appears in the late summer sky and it is so hot at this time of the year, someone along the line decided that July 3 through August 11 would be called the “dog days”.  Perhaps because we are so dog gone tired of the heat??  

If you search the sky between December and March, you may be able to identify the Winter Hexagon, or Winter Circle.  This includes Sirius, Rigel, Aldebaran, Capella, Pollux/Castor, and Procyon.  The Winter Triangle is another group that has Sirius, Procyon, and Betelgeuse.

Sirius is one of the earth’s nearest neighbors, which is one of the reasons it is so bright.  In fact, as it moves closer to us, it will seem to increase in brightness.  However, that will happen over the next 60,000 years.

Fun Facts:

• Sirius is actually larger than our Sun.  It is also hotter than our Sun.  
• It is the closest star that we can see without the aid of a telescope.
• It was originally two blue stars.  Scientists think there is actually a third star, but this is unproven at this time.
• Sirius is one of the 27 stars on the Brazilian flag.
• Orion has another pal, Canis Minor, or Small Dog.  

So as you are out camping this summer, or sitting on the patio around the fire pit, look up to the sky and see if you can spot this big dog.