Quick Facts
- Also called:
- Alpha Canis Minoris
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Procyon
star
Also known as: Alpha Canis Minoris
Procyon, brightest star in the northern constellation Canis Minor (Lesser Dog) and one of the brightest in the entire sky, with an apparent visual magnitude of 0.41. Procyon lies 11.4 light-years from Earth and is a visual binary, a bright yellow-white subgiant with a faint, white dwarf companion of about the 10th magnitude. The name apparently derives from Greek words for “before the dog,” in reference to the constellation.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Erik Gregersen.
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