Canis Major, The Great Dog, loyally follows and protects the mythical hunter across the winter sky on the edge of the galaxy. At the big dog’s neck (or, as some cultures show it, at the nose) is what appears to be the brightest star in the entire sky, Sirius. But this brilliant beacon is actually a close pair of two. The tiny second star is sometimes called “The Pup.” In ancient Egypt, Sirius was the basis of the calendar that foretold the time of the annual floods. It represented the resurrection of the sun god, Osiris.
Canis Major’s next brightest star, Adhara, pushes a back leg forward. This powerful entity with the Arabic name, emits more light that is invisible to human sight than it does visible light. It is, however, light that a cat