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- Alpha Canis Majoris, "Sirius", has
- also been known as "The Dog Star", "The
- Nile Star", and "The Scorching One".
- Being the brightest star next to the
- sun, Sirius has an impressive set of
- myths and legends attached to it. To
- the Egyptians it signalled the time
- for the Nile to rise. Virgil told on
- how it brought drought and disease.
- Sirius is an unusual double star in
- that it has a tiny "white dwarf"
- companion (mag. 8.65). The dwarf is
- only twice the size of earth, but has
- as much mass as the sun. This makes it
- so dense that a cubic inch would weigh
- over 2 tons.
-