Canis Major: The Great Dog

Pronunciation: CANE-iss (CAN-iss) MAY-jer Canis Major as depicted by Johannes Hevelius in his Firmamentum Sobiescianum sive Uranographia (1687). Source image provided by www.RareMaps.com — Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc.

The Myth Behind the Constellation Canis Major

There have been a number of mythical dogs tied to Canis Major.  One is that Canis Major, “the great dog”, and Canis Minor, “the little dog”, are the hunting companions of Orion, “the hunter”. In another myth, Canis Major is Laelaps, a dog so swift that it was destined that no pray would outrun it.  He was used to hunt down the Teumessian Fox, a beast so sly that it was destined to never be caught.  On-and-on the chase went, the fox unable to outrun the dog and the dog unable to catch the fox.  Finally, Zeus put an end to this paradox by turning them both to stone.

Canis Major Constellation Points of Interest

Bright Stars in Canis Major

These are the stars in Canis Major with a minimum magnitude of 3.0.