Constellations of Gemels and Little Dog - Constellations of Gemini and Canis Minor - Constellation...

Constellations of Gemels and Little Dog - Constellations of Gemini and Canis Minor - Constellation of Gemels with bright stars Castor and Pollux. Below is the small constellation of the Little Dog, with the bright star Procyon. Canis Minor (the Lesser Dog) is sometimes regarded as the smaller of the two dogs of Orion the hunter. It is minor indeed, just 185 degrees square, and 71st in size of the 88 modern constellations. The most obvious and interesting object Canis Minor is its main star, the pale yellow Procyon. Its name is from the Greek, meaning 'before the dog', since it rises before the Sirius, the Dog Star. Gemini (the Twins) is a much more interesting collection of stars, easily visualised as two figures holding hands, their heads represented by the stars Castor and Pollux. The constellation is an ancient zodiacal construction, with a rich mythology vanishing in the mists of time. It is from the direction of Gemini (near Castor) that annual Geminid meteor showers radiate, around December 14