The constellation Canis Minor

The constellation Canis Minor

The constellation Canis Minor is a constellation of the northern hemisphere. Its brightest star is α Canis Minoris, which bears the Greek name Procyon (Greek for “before the dog”). Procyon is the eighth brightest star in the entire sky. Its name comes from the fact that it always rises shortly before the actual “dog star”, the star Sirius in the constellation Canis Major.

Together with the stars Sirius (in the constellation Canis Major) and Betelgeuse (in the constellation Orion), the star Procyon is part of the so-called Winter Triangle. This is a group of three stars that is very easy to see in winter in the northern hemisphere and that together form a nearly equilateral triangle.

Mythology

According to Greek mythology, Icarius was the founder of wine growing.

He was taught this knowledge by Dionysus, the god of wine, in person. On one of his journeys, Dionysus stopped at the house of Icarius. Icarius offered him goat's milk as a refreshment, but Dionysus politely declined. Instead, he let Icarius taste a very special drink, the wine he had grown himself. During his visit, Dionysus noticed that Icarius was a gifted gardener. So he decided to introduce him to the art of growing grapes and making wine. After his training was complete, Icarius and his dog Maera travelled through the land to make the drink known to the people. On the way, they came across a group of shepherds, to whom Icarius kindly offered some of his drink. However, the shepherds were not used to the alcohol and quickly became drunk and unconscious. The other shepherds thought that their companions had been poisoned. They killed Icarius and buried him under a tree. His dog Maera ran home whimpering, where he met Erigone, the daughter of Icarius. Maera led Erigone to her father's grave. In her despair, Erigone took her own life, and the dog Maera also died of grief.

According to this myth, Zeus placed Icarius (constellation Boötes), Erigone (constellation Virgo) and Maera (constellation Canis Minor) in the sky. The murderers of Icarius fled to the island of Ceos, which from then on suffered from famine and disease. King Aristaeus of Ceos, a son of the god Apollo, turned to Zeus for help. Zeus took pity and sent the Etesian winds, which since then have blown every year for about forty days, shortly after the rising of the star Procyon, and bring Greece pleasant cooling during the summer heat.