The constellations of Canis Major, the Great Dog, and Lepus, the Hare. Both of these constellations lie south of the celestial equator and are best se
The constellations of Canis Major, the Great Dog, and Lepus, the Hare. Both of these constellations lie south of the celestial equator and are best seen by observers in southern latitudes. The brightest star in the image (above and left of centre) is Sirius, the Dog Star. Sirius is the brightest star in the sky and also one of the closest, lying only light years from Earth. It is a well-known double star, having a small, faint, but extremely dense companion star (known as a white dwarf) which orbits it once every 50 years. Both Canis Major and Lepus are ancient constellations, Canis Major representing one of Orion's hunting dogs and Lepus his quarry. See \Observing the Constellations\", page 38."
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Keywords: astronomy, binary, canis, constellat, constellation, cosmology, dog, double, dwarf, hemisphere, lepus, major, science, sirius, southern, star, stars, stellar, system, white
