Many dogs have been seen in the night sky, but the most famous is Canis Major, also known as the Great Dog. To locate it, start by finding its master, the constellation Orion, specifically the three bands of stars at the center of that constellation. Extend the line downward and to the left (southeast) to reach the alpha star Sirius in the constellation Canis Major.
Sirius, also referred to as the Dog Star, is relatively close to the sun, 8.6 light years away (a light year is the distance light travels in a year, approximately 10 trillion kilometers).
It is the brightest star in the night sky due to its close proximity to Earth. Its light is affected by atmospheric turbulence, causing flickering and variations in color.
Canis Major represents the dog, with a lively animal imagined as running towards Orion. Sirius appears as a pointed head at the top left (northeast), a distorted rectangular body slanted to the bottom left, and even a small tail, but its appendages and hind legs are very low in the sky when viewed from England. Using binoculars, look below (to the south) of Sirius just below the field of view to find the beautiful open star cluster Messier 41 (M41) inside the dog’s body, if the sky is clear and dark.
To find Canis Minor, also known as the little dog and relative of Canis Major, look upward (north) from Sirius and to the left (east) to a relatively sparsely populated area of the sky with only one bright star, Procyon. This constellation is not often identified as a dog and is basically formed by only two stars, Procyon and Gomeisa.
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Source: www.sciencefocus.com
