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| Abbreviation: CMa (Canis Major) |
| English Name: The Great Dogs |
| Genitive: Sirius |
| Hemisphere: Southern Hemisphere |
| Location: Between the constellations of Monoceros and Lepus. |
| Visible between latitudes: +60 and -90 degrees |
| Best season: Winter |
| Seen in three seasons: Autumn, Winter, and Spring |
| Best seen in: February (map) and March (map) |
| Seen between: October and March |
| Right Ascension (RA): 07 hour |
| Declination (DEC): -20 degrees |
| Area (square degrees): 380 (43th) |
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Canis Major (The Great dog)
- This constellation is beautiful to look at the brightest of all stars – Sirius; the brightest star in the night sky!
o - Sirius, often called the Dog Star.
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Messier Objects in Canis Major
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Other objects in Canis Major
| Select Catalog | No of Objects |
| Barnard (B) | 0x object |
| Caldwell (C) | 2x objects |
| Collinder (Cr) | 15x objects |
| New General Catalogue (NGC) | 38x objects |
| Index Catalogue (IC) | 8x objects |
| Sharpless (Sh2) | 10x objects |
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Features of Interest
- NGC2362 – Open Cluster; small and condensed, requiring a small telescope to be seen properly.
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NGC4244 – Large edge-on spiral, found eight degrees west of Cor Caroli.
o - NGC4485 and NGC4490 – Two splendid galaxies in the same field: NGC4485 is more compact (this one is sometimes called the Cocoon Galaxy), while NGC4490 is larger and brighter. Located less than one degree northwest of beta CVn.
O - NGC4631 – Very large and bright, seen edge-on. Found in a rather barren field, six degrees south of Cor Caroli and two degrees west. In the same field are two more galaxies, NGC4656 and NGC4657, just southwest of NGC4631.
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Named Stars
- Sirius (Alpha CMa)
- Murzim (Beta CMa)
- Muliphen (Gamma CMa)
- Wezen (Delta CMa)
- Adara (Epsilon CMa)
- Furud (Zeta CMa)
- Aludra (Eta CMa)
- more list of stars in Canis Major
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Planetarium / Constellation Map
| Live constellation visible from the UK :- Planetarium (Canis Major) | Best Seen in: February (map) and March (map) | Seen between: October and March |
IAU Sky Chart: Canis Major
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Go To
Constellations – Visible from the UK
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Parts visible from the UK
| Antlia | Columba | Eridanus | Fornax | Microscopium | ||
| Piscis Austrinus | Puppis | Pyxis | Sagittarius | Scorpius |
(Only 10 of them even in part from the United Kingdom.)
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Constellations: Southern Celestial Hemisphere
…..– never seen from the UK
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