Delta Canis Majoris
Delta Canis Majoris (δ CMa, δ Canis Majoris) is a star in the constellation Canis Major. It has the traditional name Wezen, Wesen, or Wezea. It is a yellow-white F-type supergiant with an apparent magnitude of +1.83. Since 1943, the spectrum of this star has served as one of the stable anchor points by which other stars are classified.
Visibility
Delta Canis Majoris is the third brightest star in the constellation after Sirius and Adhara, with an apparent magnitude of +1.83, and is white or yellow-white in colour. Lying about 10 degrees south southeast of Sirius, it only rises to about 11 degrees above the horizon at the latitude of the United Kingdom. The open cluster NGC 2354 is located only 1.3 degrees east of Delta Canis Majoris. As with the rest of Canis Major, Wezen is most visible in winter skies in the northern hemisphere, and summer skies in the southern. In Bayer's Uranometria, it is in the Great Dog's hind quarter.
History and naming
The traditional name, Wezen, is derived from the medieval Arabic وزن al-wazn, which means "weight" in modern Arabic. The name was for one of a pair of stars, the other being Hadar, which has now come to refer to Beta Centauri. It is unclear whether the pair of stars was originally Alpha and Beta Centauri or Alpha and Beta Columbae. In any case, the name was somehow applied to both Delta Canis Majoris and Beta Columbae.Richard Hinckley Allen muses that the name alludes to the difficulty the star has rising above the (northern hemisphere) horizon. Astronomer Jim Kaler has noted the aptness of the traditional name given the star's massive nature.
15 Canis Majoris
15 Canis Majoris is a star in the constellation Canis Major.
15 Canis Majoris is a blue-white B-type subgiant with a mean apparent magnitude of +4.82. It is approximately 1200 light years from Earth. It is classified as a Beta Cephei type variable star and its brightness varies from magnitude +4.79 to +4.84 with a period of 4.43 hours.
References
Nu Canis Majoris
The Bayer designation Nu Canis Majoris (ν CMa / ν Canis Majoris) is shared by three star systems, in the constellation Canis Major:
They are separated by the different asterism in Chinese astronomy. ν¹ Canis Majoris was not any member of asterism. ν² Canis Majoris was stand alone in asterism 野雞 (Yě Jī), Wild Cockerel. ν³ Canis Majoris was member of asterism 軍市 (Jūn Shì), Market for Soldiers. Both of asterisms were lied in Well mansion.
References
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