The Great Dog

The constellation Great Dog (Canis Major) is one of the prominent winter constellations in the northern hemisphere. The brightly shining star Sirius is the brightest star in the sky. At a distance of only 8.6 light years, it is one of the 10 closest stars in the vicinity of the solar system.
Besides Sirius, the constellation contains another remarkable star, VY Canis Majoris (VY CMa), which is however too faint to be observed with the naked eye. VY CMa is a red supergiant and one of the largest known stars in the universe. Its diameter is over 1400 solar diameters. In our solar system all planets up to Jupiter would be within the star.

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Date:30.04. + 01.05.2022
Optics: Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art at f/4
Focal Length: 85 mm
Camera: Canon EOS 6D
Exposure: 2 frame mosiac
each 25 x 300 s
Location: Chamaeleon Observatory, Onjala Lodge, Namibia
Processing: Nebulosity, Registar, Starnet, Photoshop
annotated image

image field in the sky