SkyEye

Canis Minor

The Lesser Dog

Abbreviation:CMi
Genitive:Canis Minoris
Origin:[antiquity]
Fully Visible:76°S – 89°N

Canis Minor is usually considered to be one of Orion's hunting dogs although this is a rather recent interpretation.

The constellation of Canis Minor

Notable Features

Visible Named Stars
α CMi Procyon Procyon is a first magnitude star and one of the closest ones to the Sun. It sometimes appears as Elgomaisa (from the Arabic al‑ghumayṣāʿ meaning 'the little bleary-eyed one') in older star atlases and catalogues and as Al Shira al Shamiyat (from the Arabic al‑shiʿrā al‑shaʾāmiya meaning 'the northern Shiʿrā') in Mohammad Al Achsasi Al Mouakket's calendarium. Its white dwarf companion is the second closest white dwarf to the Sun, after Sirius B in Canis Major.
β CMi Gomeisa This is the only other star in the constellation brighter than third magnitude.
Meteor Shower Radiants
246 AMO α Monocerotids The meteors in this November shower are among the fastest colliding with Earth and some can be very bright. Activity is quite variable, with outbursts occurring every ten years. Although the shower is named after a star in the constellation Monoceros, the radiant actually lies near the star ζ CMi.