In visible light Sirius A, (Greek Seirios, scorching) is the brightest star in the night sky, a closely watched celestial beacon throughout recorded history. Sirius is the luminary of the constellation Canis Major, the Greater Dog, which represents Orion's larger hunting dog, and as such is commonly referred to as the "Dog Star."

For 13 years I had my very own "Dog Star", my companion and best friend, Prince. When it came time to name my company, it was natural for me to give it a name that would comemmorate him.

In designing the logo, I asked Laura Bittante of Kamloops to incorporate Prince's "one-ear-up-one-ear-down" look, and she did a great job.
From Orion, look south and to the east to find brilliant Sirius, as if one really needs directions to find the brightest star in the sky.

Though a "main sequence" "dwarf star" that, like the Sun, shines by hydrogen fusion, it is twice as massive as our star, and as a result is hotter and brighter, its 9400 Kelvin temperature making it quite white. But it is also bright to us because it is nearby, a mere 8.6 light years away, just double that of the closest star to the Earth, Alpha Centauri. Because of its brilliance, Sirius is the champion of all "twinklers," the effect caused by variable refraction in the Earth's atmosphere.

The star was highly venerated by the ancient Egyptians, who regarded it as a token of the rising of the Nile and of a subsequent good harvest. Many Egyptian temples were constructed in such a way that the light of Sirius reached the inner chambers. The hottest part of the summer coincides with the heliacal rising of Sirius, and thus acquired the name dog days.
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Dog Star Publishing and Design
Jacquie Gazley
jacqueline@dogstarpublishing.ca
Phone: (905) 251-6100