Post by Nubian Zuri* on Sept 16, 2009 9:03:12 GMT -5
Canis Major
Written by Tammy Plotner
The constellation of Canis Major represents one of the dogs following the great hunter Orion , and was including in the original list of 48 constellations of Ptolemy. It endured through time to be included into the list of the 88 modern constellations and Canis Major has the honor of containing Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. It is bordered by Monoceros , Lepus , Columba and Puppis . Canis Major contains 8 main stars and has 32 stars with Bayer/Flamsteed designations.
In mythology, the constellation of Canis Major has played a role since the beginning of time. Its Alpha star, Sirius, is the brightest object in the sky (besides the Sun , Moon , Jupiter , and Venus ) as seen from Earth . It is also one of the nearest. The star's name means scorching, since the summer heat occurred just after Sirius' helical rising. The Ancient Greeks referred to such times in the summer as dog days, as only dogs would be mad enough to go out in the heat, leading to the star being known as the Dog Star. Consequently, the constellation was named after it, as a Big Dog.
In early European classical days, this constellation represented Laelaps, gift from Zeus to Europa ; or sometimes the hound of Procris, Diana's nymph; or the one given by Aurora to Cephalus, so famed for its speed that Zeus elevated it to the sky. Most commonly, Canis Major is Orion's hunting dog, pursuing Lepus the Hare or helping Orion fight Taurus the Bull, and is referred to in this way by Aratos, Homer and Hesiod. The ancient Greeks refer only to one dog, but by Roman times, Canis Minor appears as Orion's second child. Roman myth also refers to Canis Major as Custos Europae, the dog guarding Europa but failing to prevent her abduction by Jupiter in the form of a bull; and as Janitor Lethaeus, the watchdog of Hell.
Depending on the faintness of stars considered, Canis Major resembles a dog facing either above or below the ecliptic . When facing below, since Sirius was considered a dog in its own right, early Greek mythology sometimes considered it to be two headed. As such, together with the area of the sky that is deserted (now considered as the new and extremely faint constellations Camelopardalis and Lynx ), and the other features of the area in the Zodiac sign of Gemini (i.e. the Milky Way , and the constellations Gemini, Orion, Auriga , and Canis Minor), this may be the origin of the myth of the cattle of Geryon, which forms one of The Twelve Labours of Heracles. Sirius was an object of wonder and veneration to all ancient peoples throughout human history. In the ancient Vedas this star was known as the Chieftain's star; in other Hindu writings, it is referred to as Sukra, the Rain God, or Rain Star. The Dog is also described as "he who awakens the gods of the air, and summons them to their office of bringing the rain." Sirius was revered as the Nile Star, or Star of Isis, by the ancient Egyptians. Its annual appearance just before dawn at the Summer Solstice, June 21, heralded the coming rise of the Nile, upon which Egyptian agriculture depended. This helical rising is referred to in many temple inscriptions, where the star is known as the Divine Sepat, identified as the soul of Isis. In the temple of Isis-Hathor at Dedendrah, Egypt, appears the inscription, "Her majesty Isis shines into the temple on New Year's Day, and she mingles her light with that of her father on the horizon." The Arabic word Al Shi'ra resembles the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian names suggesting a common origin in Sanskrit, in which the name Surya, the Sun God, simply means the "shining one."
Now, stop and take a look at Sirius. In 1862, Alvan Graham Clark, Jr. made an unusual discovery. While watching Sirius, Clark uncovered the intense star's faint companion while testing an 18" refractor for Dearborn Observatory. The scope itself was built by Clark, his father and his brother. Imagine his excitement when it turned up the white dwarf
Written by Tammy Plotner
The constellation of Canis Major represents one of the dogs following the great hunter Orion , and was including in the original list of 48 constellations of Ptolemy. It endured through time to be included into the list of the 88 modern constellations and Canis Major has the honor of containing Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. It is bordered by Monoceros , Lepus , Columba and Puppis . Canis Major contains 8 main stars and has 32 stars with Bayer/Flamsteed designations.
In mythology, the constellation of Canis Major has played a role since the beginning of time. Its Alpha star, Sirius, is the brightest object in the sky (besides the Sun , Moon , Jupiter , and Venus ) as seen from Earth . It is also one of the nearest. The star's name means scorching, since the summer heat occurred just after Sirius' helical rising. The Ancient Greeks referred to such times in the summer as dog days, as only dogs would be mad enough to go out in the heat, leading to the star being known as the Dog Star. Consequently, the constellation was named after it, as a Big Dog.
In early European classical days, this constellation represented Laelaps, gift from Zeus to Europa ; or sometimes the hound of Procris, Diana's nymph; or the one given by Aurora to Cephalus, so famed for its speed that Zeus elevated it to the sky. Most commonly, Canis Major is Orion's hunting dog, pursuing Lepus the Hare or helping Orion fight Taurus the Bull, and is referred to in this way by Aratos, Homer and Hesiod. The ancient Greeks refer only to one dog, but by Roman times, Canis Minor appears as Orion's second child. Roman myth also refers to Canis Major as Custos Europae, the dog guarding Europa but failing to prevent her abduction by Jupiter in the form of a bull; and as Janitor Lethaeus, the watchdog of Hell.
Depending on the faintness of stars considered, Canis Major resembles a dog facing either above or below the ecliptic . When facing below, since Sirius was considered a dog in its own right, early Greek mythology sometimes considered it to be two headed. As such, together with the area of the sky that is deserted (now considered as the new and extremely faint constellations Camelopardalis and Lynx ), and the other features of the area in the Zodiac sign of Gemini (i.e. the Milky Way , and the constellations Gemini, Orion, Auriga , and Canis Minor), this may be the origin of the myth of the cattle of Geryon, which forms one of The Twelve Labours of Heracles. Sirius was an object of wonder and veneration to all ancient peoples throughout human history. In the ancient Vedas this star was known as the Chieftain's star; in other Hindu writings, it is referred to as Sukra, the Rain God, or Rain Star. The Dog is also described as "he who awakens the gods of the air, and summons them to their office of bringing the rain." Sirius was revered as the Nile Star, or Star of Isis, by the ancient Egyptians. Its annual appearance just before dawn at the Summer Solstice, June 21, heralded the coming rise of the Nile, upon which Egyptian agriculture depended. This helical rising is referred to in many temple inscriptions, where the star is known as the Divine Sepat, identified as the soul of Isis. In the temple of Isis-Hathor at Dedendrah, Egypt, appears the inscription, "Her majesty Isis shines into the temple on New Year's Day, and she mingles her light with that of her father on the horizon." The Arabic word Al Shi'ra resembles the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian names suggesting a common origin in Sanskrit, in which the name Surya, the Sun God, simply means the "shining one."
Now, stop and take a look at Sirius. In 1862, Alvan Graham Clark, Jr. made an unusual discovery. While watching Sirius, Clark uncovered the intense star's faint companion while testing an 18" refractor for Dearborn Observatory. The scope itself was built by Clark, his father and his brother. Imagine his excitement when it turned up the white dwarf