Canis Major
Back in the second century, an astronomer and mathematician named Claudius Ptolemy added Canis Major into his 48 constellations, which are all now added to the 88 modern constellations we know today. In Latin, Canis Major means “greater dog.” This made sense as a name because Canis Major connects with the Orion constellation. Of course, he is the “hunter” and it makes sense a dog would be present with him. Interestingly, our Milky Way passes right through Canis Major and several open clusters are present within the Major’s borders.
We know Canis Major most for its infamous Sirius star, the brightest star in the night sky. Often referred to as the “dog star,” it happens to be so bright to us because of how close it is to our solar system. Interestingly, Canis Major has several bright stars we are able to see. This is likely due to the galaxy having several large stars including yellow-white supergiants like Delta as well as blue-white supergiants like Eta. Obviously, the galaxy is beautiful which is why we love this image so much. It is easily one of the most breathtaking photos captured by NASA and the ESA.