Canis Minor, the Lesser Dog, is a tiny ancient constellation of two stars, made bright by Procyon, one of the Sun’s nearest bright neighbours.
At a glance
| stars in the figure | 2 |
|---|---|
| nearest star of the figure | Procyon A, 11.5 light-years (3.51 pc) |
| farthest star of the figure | Gomeisa, 162 light-years (49.6 pc) |
| depth | the farthest is 14 × farther than the nearest |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Canis Minor
Canis Minor is one of the constellations catalogued by Ptolemy, the smaller of the two dogs that follow Orion the hunter. Its figure is the simplest in the sky, a single line joining Procyon and Gomeisa. The name Procyon means before the dog in Greek, because from the Mediterranean it rises shortly before Sirius, the Dog Star.
Procyon is a white star larger and more luminous than the Sun, with a faint white dwarf companion, and it is among the brightest stars in the night sky mainly because it is so close. Gomeisa is a hot blue-white star much farther off. Procyon forms the Winter Triangle with Sirius and Betelgeuse, and the constellation lies close to the celestial equator, so it is seen from both hemispheres on winter evenings in the north.
What you see in the piece
This is a figure of one nearby star and one distant one. Procyon is a close neighbour of the Sun while Gomeisa lies far deeper, so flown out to, the line between them points almost straight away from us.
Questions
How far away is Procyon?
Procyon A, the nearest star of the figure, is 11.5 light-years (3.51 pc) from the Sun.
How many stars does Canis Minor have?
Its figure is drawn with two stars, Procyon A and Gomeisa, and Gomeisa is 14 × farther away than Procyon.