Written in the Stars: Constellations, Facts and Folklore by Alison Davies

Author:Alison Davies
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook
Publisher: Quadrille
Published: 2018-05-10T00:00:00+00:00

CANIS MAJOR

FAMILY ORION

LOCATION Second quadrant of the southern hemisphere

BEST SEEN IN February

NAME MEANING The Great Dog

STARS Sirius (Alpha Canis Majoris), Adhara (Epsilon Canis Majoris), Wezen (Delta Canis Majoris)

Blazing from the head of Canis Major is Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. Also known as the Dog Star, Sirius twinkles all the colours of the rainbow and was revered by the ancient Egyptians. They called it Sodpet, a goddess of fertility and prosperity; by Greaco-Roman times she had become associated with the goddess Isis. The first night of the year that Sodpet was seen marked the start of the Egyptian new year, and the yearly flooding of the Nile. Canis Major is often referred to as one of Orion’s two hunting dogs, but may also represent the hound, Laelaps, who was so fast he always caught his prey, according to Greek myth. His master Cephalus set him to chase a troublesome beast known as the Teumessian fox (Canis Minor), but they were too well matched and the race continues to this day, with Canis Major in eternal pursuit of his prey through the stars.

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