Canis Minor

Constellation

Represents the lesser dog, marked by the bright star Procyon.

Facts

Type	Constellation
Area of sky	183 sq°
Brightest star	Procyon
Brightest star magnitude	mag 0.34
Hemisphere	Northern
Zodiac constellation	No
Discovered	150

Canis Minor in context

A constellation is a pattern drawn on the sky rather than a physical grouping: its stars are usually unrelated and sit at wildly different distances, just lined up as seen from Earth.

Canis Minor covers 183 square degrees of sky, which is 0.4 percent of the whole celestial sphere.

That makes it the 71st largest of the 88 constellations the International Astronomical Union recognises.

It sits in the northern sky.

Its brightest star reaches magnitude 0.34, bright enough to pick out with the naked eye under a dark sky.

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