[sir-ee-uh
s] 
| 1. | Astronomy. the Dog Star, the brightest-appearing star in the heavens, located in the constellation Canis Major. |
| 2. | Also, Seirios. Classical Mythology.
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| Sir·i·us (sĭr'ē-əs) n. A star in the constellation Canis Major, the brightest star in the sky, approximately 8.6 light-years distant from Earth. Also called Dog Star, Sothis. [Latin Sīrius, from Greek Seirios, from seirios, burning.] |
| Sirius (sĭr'ē-əs) Pronunciation Key
The brightest star seen in the night sky. It is in the constellation Canis Major. It is a white main-sequence star on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, with an apparent magnitude of -1.5. Sirius is a binary star, and its companion is a white dwarf star referred to as the Pup. Sirius is also known as the Dog Star. Scientific name: Alpha Canis. |