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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
SunriseRise: 6:04  
clear_day Transit: 12:06  
SunsetSet: 18:09
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now?
All Constellations » 

Canis Minor (The Lesser Dog) Constellation

Altitude: -22.4°   Azimuth: 45.4°   Direction: North-East

Canis Minor (pronounced ˈkeɪnɪs ˈmaɪnər) is the Latin name of a constellation situated close to the celestial equator. As such, it is at least partly visible from both hemispheres in certain times of the year.

In English language this constellation is also known as "The Lesser dog" while in astronomical texts and literature this constellation is often abbreviated as "CMi" (according to the standard of the International Astronomical Union - IAU) or as "CMin" (according to a naming convention used by NASA).

The Latin genitive of the constellation name is "Canis Minoris" (pronounced ˈkeɪnɪs mɪˈnɒrɪs) and it is used to identify some of the brightest stars in this constellation based on the Bayer or Flamsteed star naming convention. For instance: α Canis Minoris (the brightest star of Canis Minor based on the Bayer catalog); or 23 Canis Minoris (the 23th star in the constellation of Canis Minor based on the Flamsteed catalog).

Canis Minor is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
Available Resources for Canis Minor

Sky Chart of Canis Minor Constellation

Here we provide a simplified sky chart of the Canis Minor constellation. Alternatively it is possible to locate Canis Minor in the night sky using our Online Interactive Planetarium.

Chart of  constellation
This constellation image is derivatve work based on original work by IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine (Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg) CC-BY-3.0.

Visibility of Canis Minor Constellation

Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London

Today's Canis Minor rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 83.9°
Max altitude: 44.6°
Azimuth: 276.1°
Canis Minor is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom

The rise and set times provided here are just directional indications and they refer to a point approximately placed at the center of the constellation. In case of very large constellations these times can have little relevance.

Bright Stars in Canis Minor Constellation

The table below lists the top 20 brightest stars in the Canis Minor constellation. See also the complete list of 44 stars brighter than magnitude 6.5 (approximate) in the constellation of Canis Minor. Click on each star to see more details about it.

HR Number(*) Star designation Proper name Visual magnitude Color Notes
HR2943 α Canis Minoris Procyon 0.38 Variable; Multiple;
HR2845 β Canis Minoris Gomeisa 2.9 Variable; Multiple;
HR2854 γ Canis Minoris 4.32 Multiple;
HR3145 4.39 Double;
HR2864 6 Canis Minoris 4.54 Variable;
HR2828 ε Canis Minoris 4.99
HR3059 ζ Canis Minoris 5.14
HR2880 δ1 Canis Minoris 5.25
HR2851 η Canis Minoris 5.25 Double;
HR3110 14 Canis Minoris 5.29 Multiple;
HR2820 1 Canis Minoris 5.3
HR3008 11 Canis Minoris 5.3 Variable;
HR2729 5.35
HR2887 δ2 Canis Minoris 5.59
HR2728 5.62
HR3136 5.65 Double;
HR2682 5.75
HR2901 δ3 Canis Minoris 5.81 Multiple;
HR2747 5.82 Variable;
HR3087 5.86
...go to the complete list of 44 bright stars in the constellation of Canis Minor

(*) HR stands for Harvard Revised Bright Star Catalogue, which is also known as the Yale Catalogue of Bright Stars.

Deep Sky Objects in Canis Minor Constellation

The table below lists the 20 brightest deep sky objects in the Canis Minor constellation. See also the complete list of 22 deep sky objects in the constellation of Canis Minor. The list includes objects from the Messier, New General Catalogue (NGC) and Index Catalogue (IC).

Name Type Magnitude
NGC 2485 Galaxy 13.3 (B)
NGC 2504 Galaxy 14.1 (B)
NGC 2350 Galaxy 14.1 (B)
NGC 2470 Galaxy 14.2 (B)
IC 494 Galaxy 14.3 (B)
NGC 2416 Galaxy 14.3 (B)
IC 498 Galaxy 14.6 (B)
NGC 2496 Galaxy 14.8 (B)
NGC 2499 Galaxy 15.1 (B)
NGC 2402 NED02 Galaxy 15.11 (B)
NGC 2402 NED01 Galaxy 15.4 (B)
NGC 2491 Galaxy 15.6 (B)
NGC 2402 Galaxy Pair N/A
NGC 2459 Open Cluster N/A
NGC 2394 Open Cluster N/A
...go to the complete list of 22 deep sky objects in the constellation of Canis Minor