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Canis Minor



Abbreviation: CMi
Genitive: Canis Minoris
Right Ascension: 7.66 hours
Declination: 5.90 degrees
  Canis Minor, the Lesser Dog, can be seen from the Northen Hemisphere from December until April, and from November until April in the Southern Hemisphere.

Canis Minor, the 'little dog', stands on the back of the unicorn (Monoceros), it is the second of Orion's two hunting dogs. In legend the dogs (Canis Major and Canis Minor) were associated with the dogs which tore the unsuspecting Actaeon to pieces when he came upon Artemis, the virgin goddess of the hunt, while she was bathing in a woodland pool.

The dogs are also associated with the Egyptian god-headed god Anubis, the guide of souls.

Procyon and Gomesia are the two brightest stars in this constellation, Procyon is a greek word for 'Before the Dog', as Procyon rises before Canis Major, which contains the Dog-Star, Sirius. The Mesopotamians, called Procyon 'The Star of the Crossing Water-Dog', as it lies near their River of Heaven (the Milky-Way).

  Bright Stars | Deep Sky | Other Deep Sky | Variable Stars | Double Stars
 

Best Known Stars

(Yale Bright Star Catalog)
 
Common Name
or Bayer Number 1 		RA DEC Magnitude 2
PROCYON 7.00:39.00:18.11 +5.00:13.00:30.06 0.38
GOMEISA 7.00:27.00:9.03 +8.00:17.00:21.50 2.90
6 CMI 7.00:29.00:47.78 +12.00:0.00:23.64 4.54
ZET CMI 7.00:51.00:41.98 +1.00:46.00:0.66 5.14
11 CMI 7.00:46.00:16.20 +10.00:46.00:5.69 5.24
   
 

Deep Sky Objects

(PAS Catalog)
   
 

Other Deep Sky Objects

(Saguaro Astronomy Club Catalog)
  Only Objects less than 10.0 Mag.
 
Object R.A. Dec. Object Type 3 Mag. Uranometria Tirion
   
 

Variable Stars

(General Catalog of Variable Stars)
  Only Objects <= 8.0 magnitude
 
GCVS ID R.A.
(hh mm ss.ss)		 Dec.
(deg mm ss)		 Variable Type 4 Mag. Min Mag. Max
AZ CMi 7.00:41.00:31.20 +2.00:31.00:34.00 DSCTC 6.51 6.44
BC CMi 7.00:49.00:29.80 +3.00:24.00:28.00 SRB 6.42 6.14
bet CMi 7.00:24.00:26.40 +8.00:23.00:30.00 GCAS 2.92 2.84
   
 

Double Stars

(Saguaro Astronomy Club Catalog)
  Only Objects <= 8.0 magnitude
 
Name R.A.
(hh mm.m)		 Dec.
(deg mm)		 Mag 5 Sep 6 PA 7 Tirion Uranometria
STT 170 07 17.7 09 18 7.6, 7.9 1.10 86 12 184