Canis Major, the Big Dog

Canis Major (KAY-niss MAY-jer) has been called the dog constellation by many different cultures which had no association with each other. Orion the Hunter's large hunting dog is located to the lower-left of Orion (for more information about Orion, refer to January CoM).

Sirius (FCPS Starfinder, Letter "A," Southern Sky) is the brightest star in the night sky and the nose of Canis Major, the Big Dog (No. 2). For more information about Sirius (and Procyon), read the transcript of Dog Stars, the 19 December 1999 StarDate, the daily astronomy-related radio program produced by the McDonald Observatory, University of Texas.

Associated Mythology - Sirius is much like a Greek word meaning "scorcher." The "Dog Days of Summer" refers to the time period during the Summer when Sirius is high in the daytime sky, supposedly adding to the Summer Sun's heat. For more information, read the transcript of Dog Days, the 10 July 1999 StarDate, the daily astronomy-related radio program produced by the McDonald Observatory, University of Texas.

When Sirius rises in the east in the morning, it warned the Egyptians of the annual flooding of the Nile River.

Gemini, the Twins

Gemini (JEM'n-eye) is the third constellation of the Zodiac for birthdates from 21 May to 20 June.

The two brightest stars in Gemini are Castor (CASS-ter) and Pollux (PAUL-ux). Castor and Pollux are Greek names meaning, "one of the twin sons of Zeus" and "the other twin son of Zeus" respectively. These two bright stars form the heads of the twins; their bodies look like two stick figures made of parallel lines. A gently curving line from Rigel (Letter "D," Orion, No. 1) through Betelgeuse (Letter "F," Orion) will lead to the Gemini Twins (No. 3).

Associated Mythology - The Gemini Twins sailed with Jason and the Argonauts to secure the Golden Fleece of Aries, the Ram. This constellation is well-known to sailors and is often used for celestial navigation; it is considered to be a sign of good luck. Warriors thought that it was a good luck sign to see Gemini the night before heading into battle, meaning that you would live to see Gemini again. In China, the stars Castor and Pollux represent Yin and Yang, the dual forces of nature.

For more information about mythology associated with Gemini, read the transcript of Moon and Gemini, the 05 MAR 2001 StarDate program.

Credits: CoM entries excerpted from Your Guide to the Constellations, by Lowell L. Koontz, former Planetarium Teacher at Edison High School, Fairfax County Public Schools.

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