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Ephemeris: 01/08/2026 – The star named “Before the Dog”

January 8, 2026 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Thursday, January 8th. Today the Sun will be up for 9 hours even, setting at 5:20, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:19. The Moon, 2 days before last quarter, will rise at 11:45 this evening.

After 8 o’clock this evening look to the southeastern sky for the Orion the hunter constellation. Below into the left of it are two very bright stars. The one below is Sirius also known as the Dog Star, in the heart of Canis Major, the Great Dog, which is still rising at 8. Above and to the left of it is a star called Procyon which is the heart of Orion’s little dog, Canis Minor. The name Procyon is from the Greek meaning Before the Dog. The reason for Procyon’s name is the fact that it, though east of Sirius, rises before it. All things being equal, Sirius should rise before Procyon. The reason is, viewing from the Northern Hemisphere Procyon is north of Sirius, and stays out longer. It is far enough north and not that far to the east of Sirius, that it can rise before Sirius or before the Dog… Star.

The astronomical event times given in this blog are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (Lat 44.7° N, Long 85.7° W; EST, UT – 5 hours) unless stated otherwise. Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

The winter star field as seen when due south in the sky, so that north and south in the sky is up and down as it would be on a terrestrial map.
The winter star field as seen when due south in the sky, so that north and south in the sky is up and down as it would be on a terrestrial map. Since we’re looking up at the sky instead of down at the ground east is to the left and west is to the right. Note that Procyon is farther east than Sirius. The arrow shows the apparent direction of the sky as the Earth rotates. Yes, the arrow just happens to be pointing to Orion. Created using Stellarium and LibreOffice Draw.
Looking towards the east southeast from latitude 45° N at 8 PM January 8, 2026. Procyon is higher in the sky than Sirius, having risen 36 minutes earlier than the Dog Star.
Looking towards the east southeast from latitude 45° N at 8 PM January 8, 2026. The arrow shows the apparent direction of the sky as the Earth rotates. As can be seen Procyon is higher in the sky than Sirius, having risen 36 minutes earlier than the Dog Star. This holds true for latitudes greater than 31° north. At that latitude they both rise together, and south of there Sirius will rise first. Back when the constellations were invented and the stars were named, the difference in the rise times was greater than it is now, so that the latitude where Sirius would rise first was farther south than it is today. The reason is the precession of the equinoxes. Created using Stellarium and LibreOffice Draw.

Categories: Ephemeris Program, Observing, Star Names