Procyon

Procyon (prō'sēon") [key], brightest star in the constellation Canis Minor; Bayer designation α Canis Minoris; 1992 position R.A. 7^h38.9^m, Dec.+5°15'. A yellow-white star of spectral class F5 IV-V, it is one of the nearer bright stars, lying about 11.5 light-years away. Its name is from the Greek meaning “before the dog,” i.e., before the Dog Star, Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. Procyon is a brilliant star in its own right, its apparent magnitude of 0.35 making it one of the 10 brightest stars in the sky. It is a visual binary star.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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