Canis Major
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Canis Major is a constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere. In the second century, it was included in Ptolemy's 48 constellations, and is counted among the 88 modern constellations. Its name
Sirius A, the brightest star in the night sky, lies in Canis Major (field of view approximately 10°).
Canis Major and Orion constellations
Canis Major as depicted on the Manuchihr Globe made in Mashhad 1632–33 AD. Adilnor Collection, Sweden.
The stars of Canis Major as they can be seen by the naked eye; lines have been added for clarity.
VY Canis Majoris
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VY Canis Majoris is an extreme oxygen-rich red hypergiant or red supergiant and pulsating variable star 1.2 kiloparsecs from the Solar System in the slightly southern constellation of Canis Major. It
Canis Major
…at 2.0, blue-white supergiants Eta (Aludra) at 2.4 and Omicron2 at 3.0, and white spectroscopic binary Zeta (Furud), also at 3.0. The red hypergiant VY CMa is one of the largest stars known, while the neutron star RX J0720.4-3125 has a radius of a mere 5 km. In ancient Mesopotamia, Sirius, named KAK.SI.SA2…
VY Canis Majoris, Rutherford Observatory, 07 September 2014
Portrait in bust of Jérôme Lalande in 1802
VLBA used to derive VY CMa's 2011 distance estimate
VY Canis Majoris compared to the Sun and the Earth's orbit