Canis Major

November Constellations & Folklore

November 2011 : By Francine Jackson

After enjoying the overhead rescue of Andromeda by the prince charming Perseus, you might notice that Perseus has his foot on a tiny little clump of stars. At first glance, many people believe they have found the Little Dipper, not realizing that the Little Dipper is a part of our northern circumpolar sky, visible whenever you care to look in that direction; instead, that tiny cuplike group is the Pleiades.

h 3945 Canis Majoris

March 2010 : By Glenn Chaple

What is the most colorful double star in the night sky? Most amateur astronomers would vote for β Cygni (Albireo). Others might cite γ Andromedae (Almach), ι Cancri, ξ Bootis, or η Cassiopeiae. Sadly overlooked is a double star that might challenge them all – h 3945 in Canis Major. It is arguably the most colorful double star in the winter sky and, in fact, has been nick-named the “Winter Albireo.”

The Winter Circle

February 2009 : By Dave Huestis

Just as the summer sky has the Summer Triangle, the winter sky has its own special asterism, and this one is huge and includes a total of eight bright stars. It’s called the Winter Circle or Winter Hexagon. I’ll explain why you can get both shapes from the stars.