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Canis Minor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Abbreviation: | CMi |
| Genitive: | Canis Minoris |
| Symbology: | the Smaller Dog |
| Right ascension: | 8 h |
| Declination: | +5° |
| Area: | 183 sq. deg. (71st) |
| Main stars: | 2 |
| Bayer/Flamsteed stars: | 14 |
| Stars with known planets: | 0 |
| Bright stars: | 2 |
| Nearby stars: | 1 |
| Brightest star: | Procyon (α CMi) (0.38m) |
| Nearest star: | Procyon (α CMi) (11.4 ly) |
| Messier objects: | 0 |
| Meteor showers: | Canis-Minorids |
| Bordering constellations: | Monoceros Gemini Cancer Hydra |
| Visible at latitudes between +85° and −75° Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of March |
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Canis Minor (IPA: /ˈkeɪnɪs ˈmʌɪnə/, Latin: smaller dog) is one of the 88 modern constellations, and was also in Ptolemy's list of 48 constellations. It is said to represent one of the dogs following Orion the hunter.
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Canis Minor is a small constellation mainly consisting of the two stars, Procyon (α CMi, 0.38m) and Gomeisa (β CMi , 2.9m). Procyon is the eighth brightest star in the night sky. Procyon means "before the dog" in Greek, as it rises an hour before the Dog Star, Sirius, of Canis Major.
Being such a small constellation, Canis Minor has no deep sky object brighter than magnitude 10.
Canis Minor was considered to be the smaller of the two hunting dogs of Orion. However, the ancient Greeks did not recognise it as a distinct constellation, and thus originally only considered Orion to have had one dog. See also the constellations of Orion and Canis Major.
| The 88 modern Constellations |
|---|
| Andromeda • Antlia • Apus • Aquarius • Aquila • Ara • Aries • Auriga • Boötes • Caelum • Camelopardalis • Cancer • Canes Venatici • Canis Major • Canis Minor • Capricornus • Carina • Cassiopeia • Centaurus • Cepheus • Cetus • Chamaeleon • Circinus • Columba • Coma Berenices • Corona Australis • Corona Borealis • Corvus • Crater • Crux • Cygnus • Delphinus • Dorado • Draco • Equuleus • Eridanus • Fornax • Gemini • Grus • Hercules • Horologium • Hydra • Hydrus • Indus • Lacerta • Leo • Leo Minor • Lepus • Libra • Lupus • Lynx • Lyra • Mensa • Microscopium • Monoceros • Musca • Norma • Octans • Ophiuchus • Orion • Pavo • Pegasus • Perseus • Phoenix • Pictor • Pisces • Piscis Austrinus • Puppis • Pyxis • Reticulum • Sagitta • Sagittarius • Scorpius • Sculptor • Scutum • Serpens • Sextans • Taurus • Telescopium • Triangulum • Triangulum Australe • Tucana • Ursa Major • Ursa Minor • Vela • Virgo • Volans • Vulpecula |
