• Points in the sky
• Groups of stars
• Andromeda
• Ursa Major
• Canis Major
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• Coma Berenices
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• Ursa Minor
• Vulpecula
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Canis Major

Canis Major is the constellation of the Southern hemisphere of the sky the brightest star of which is Sirius. Its brightness is 1.46 of visual star magnitude. It is best seen in January and December. It is situated to the East of Orion and is partially situated in the Via Lacteal.

Canis Major is the ancient constellation. And the configuration of the bright stars really reminds the dog because "canis" is "the dog" in translation from Latin. Such group making the form of the dog was formed round the star Sirius.

Myths about the appearance of the star are connected with the appearance of the whole constellation. So, Ancient Greek myths call this dog the dig of Orion because it is situated between these constellations. The ancient Greek astronomer included this constellation to his book under the name "Canis" that means dog.

The main star Sirius has the white and blue colours. The name comes from Greek "seirios" that means shinning brightly. Its shinning is so bright because it is 23 times more intensive than the brightness of the sun. People of Ancient Egypt called Sirius "the Star of Nile" because the first morning rise of Sirius predicted the flood of Nile. Since ancient times this constellation was associated with the dog because its ancient Sumerian name is "the dog of the sun", Greeks called it simply the dog and Romans called it "canicula" that means "the little dog".

Sirius also has the companion that is called "puppy" among people. This star is not so bright as the shinning of the main star.

When we look into the sky, we see thousands of little shinning points in the sky.? They could be seen only at night. These shinning little points are stars that are bigger than our planet but they are so far that they seem to be only little points.

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If you ask someone what constellation is, he/she will probably answer you that it is the group of stars located in certain form after which the constellation got its name. And this person will be completely right in the 19th century.

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Today vocabulary defines constellation as the areas that divide the sky to make the orientation in the night sky easier. In ancient times constellations were the characteristic figures made by the bright stars.

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In 1922 the General Assembly of the International Association of Astronomers made the final list of 88 constellations into which the sky was divided. And in eight years the exact and final limits between them were made. During five years scientists corrected some limits. But in 1935 limits were adapted finally and couldn't be changed any more.