Sirius

Sirius (α CMa / α Canis Majoris / Alpha Canis Majoris) is the brightest star in the night-time sky, with a visual apparent magnitude of −1.47. This binary star system consists of a blue-white main sequence dwarf star and a faint white dwarf companion. more...

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It is located in the constellation Canis Major.

Sirius can be seen from almost every inhabited region of the Earth's surface (those living north of 73.284 degrees cannot see it) and, in the Northern Hemisphere, is known as a vertex of the Winter Triangle. The best time of year to view it is around January 1, when it reaches the meridian at midnight.

Under the right conditions, Sirius can be observed in daylight with the naked eye. Ideally the sky must be very clear, with the observer at a high altitude, the star passing overhead, and the sun low down on the horizon.

Etymology

The name of this star comes from the Latin Sīrius, from Greek Σείριος (Seirios, "glowing" or "scorcher"). As the major star of the "Big Dog" constellation, it is often called the "Dog Star".

The Latin name for this star is Canicula ("little dog") and in Arabic: الشعرى aš-ši‘rā in Islamic astronomy, from which the alternate name Al Shira derives.

In Sanskrit, it is known as Mrgavyadha ("deer hunter") or Lubdhaka ("hunter"). As Mrgavyadha, the star represents Shiva.

In Chinese the star is known as 天狼星 (Tiānláng xīng literally, “heavenly wolf star”). The Japanese pronunciation is Tenrōsei and the Korean pronunciation 천랑성 Cheonlangseong, while Japanese vernacular name of the star is 青星 (Aoboshi).

History

Historically, many cultures have attached special significance to Sirius. Sirius was worshipped as Sothis in the valley of the Nile long before Rome was founded. The Middle Kingdom of Egyptians based their calendar on the heliacal rising of Sirius, which occurred just before the annual flooding of the Nile and the Summer solstice. In Greek mythology, Orion's dog became Sirius. The Greeks also associated Sirius with the heat of summer: they called it Σείριος Seirios, often translated "the scorcher."

In the astrology of the Middle Ages, Sirius was a Behenian fixed star, associated with beryl and juniper. Its kabbalistic symbol Based on changes in its proper motion, in 1844 Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel deduced that Sirius had a hidden companion. Nearly two decades later in 1862 Alvan Graham Clark discovered the faint companion, which is called Sirius B, or affectionately "the Pup". The visible star is now sometimes known as Sirius A.

Read more at Wikipedia.org