dog star
Definition
Noun: - The brightest star in the night sky: "Dog Star" is the common name for the star Sirius, which is the most luminous star visible from Earth. It is located in the constellation Canis Major (the Greater Dog).
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- On a clear winter night, you can easily spot the Dog Star low in the southeastern sky.
- Ancient Egyptians used the heliacal rising of the Dog Star to predict the annual flooding of the Nile.
Advanced Usage
- "The Dog Star": This term is almost exclusively used as a proper noun to refer specifically to the star Sirius. It is often used in historical, literary, or astronomical contexts.
- In his poetry, he referenced the blazing light of the Dog Star.
Variants and Related Words
- Sirius (n): The astronomical and scientific name for the Dog Star.
- Sirius is actually a binary star system.
- Canis Major (n): The constellation in which the Dog Star is found, meaning "Greater Dog."
- Heliacal rising (n): The annual appearance of a star, like Sirius, just before sunrise.
Synonyms
- Sirius: The direct synonym and formal name.
- Alpha Canis Majoris: The star's designation within its constellation.
Related Phrases
- "Dog days of summer": An idiom referring to the hot, sultry period of summer, historically associated with the heliacal rising of Sirius.
- We're in the dog days of summer now; it's too hot to do anything.
Noun
-
the brightest star in the sky; in Canis Major
