#gomeisa

Canis Minor, which is Latin for "lesser dog" although no dog is lesser in my eyes, was included in Greek astronomer Ptolemy's catalogs, although he considered this an asterism and not a proper constellation.

However, their origin is older: the Babylonians saw these two stars as "twins" as early as 1100 BC. Despite that ancient origin, Canis Minor is heavily associated with Greek mythology. In one myth, Canis Minor is the Teumessian Fox, a beast that was turned to stone along with its hunter, the dog Laelaps (Canis Major), by Zeus.

Another myth saw the little dog as Maera owned by Icarius of Athens. When the dog and Icarius' daughter Erigone discovered Icarius' death, they both took their lives and were placed in the sky. As a reward for this faithfulness, the dog was placed along the "banks" of the Milky Way "river" where he would never be thirsty.

Canis Minor has only two named stars:

Procyon (α Canis Minoris), the eighth-brightest star in the sky, a binary system consisting of a yellow-white giant and a white dwarf star. The entire system lies about 11 light years away. Its name comes from the Greek word prokyon meaning "before the dog," since it rises before Sirius, the Dog Star.