Look Up

Wezen is also called Delta Canis Majoris (δ Canis Majoris). In the constellation map, it could be the considered the backend of the dog. It’s the third brightest star in the constellation. It’s a yellow-white supergiant about 1,800 light-years away. Its name comes from the Arabic “al-wazn” which translates to “the weight.”

Aludra is also called Eta Canis Majoris (η Canis Majoris). It could be considered the end of the dog’s tail in the constellation map. It is a blue supergiant that is approximately 3,000 light-years away. It’s a variable star, meaning that its brightness varies. Aludra is already in its final stages of life. That means it will become a supernova within the next few million years. Its name comes from Arabic word, al-‘aðrā, which means “the virgin.” Adhara, Wezen and another called, Omicron-2 Canis Majoris, are the stars known as the Virgins.

A deep sky object located just about 4-degrees south of Sirius, is M41 but was discovered by Giovanni Batista Hodierna sometime before 1654. (Charles Messier catalogued it in 1765.) M41 is a large bright open cluster that contains about 100 stars with several red giants. It can be viewed with just a pair of binoculars.

Another known deep-sky object near Mirzam, are two spiral galaxies that are on a collision path! They are NGC 2207 and IC 2163. They’re in the process of tidal stripping, where NGC 2207 is pulling stars and other material from IC 2163. Other deep-sky objects in Canis Major are Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy and NGC 2359, better known as Thor’s Helmet.

If you don’t have a telescope, consider going to the San Mateo County Astronomical Society’s Star Party where a wide range of different types of telescopes are available for the public’s viewing pleasure. It’s Saturday night, 7:33pm, just after sunset at Crestview Park, 1000 Crestview Dr, San Carlos.

Look Up appears in the weekend edition. If you have any astronomical questions or facts you’d like to share email news@smdailyjournal.com with the subject line “Look Up.”