Lore of the Constellations: Canis Minor

Like Canis Major, Canis Minor is often regarded as one of the hunting hounds of Orion.  They appear to follow him across the sky as the Earth turns.  However, Canis Minor actually represents Maera, a dog of Icarius, the famed wine maker.

Lore of the Constellations: Canis Major

There are two prominent, winter hunting hounds you can find in your sky.  The greater of the two is known as Canis Major, the great dog.  It’s a common misconception that both Canis Major and Canis Minor are two hunting hounds of Orion the hunter.  But actually, the origins of these two dogs are a little different than what you’d think.

The Astronomical World of Harry Potter: Part 2 – Sirius and Bellatrix

In the previous blog posting we discussed how many of the characters in the Harry Potter series have connections to ancient mythology and how these myths worked their way into the books’ story-lines. Numerous characters in the series also share their names with moons, asteroids, and stars.  For this entry let’s look into two characters and the two stars they are named after:  Sirius and Bellatrix.