Epsilon Canis Majoris

Lore & Background

ε Canis Majoris bore the traditional name Adhara (sometimes spelled Adara, Adard, Udara or Udra), derived from the Arabic word عذارى 'aðāra', 'virgins'. In 2016, the International Astronomical Union organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) to catalogue and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN decided to attribute proper names to individual stars rather than entire star systems. It approved the name Adhara for the star ε Canis Majoris A on 21 August 2016 and it is now so included in the List of IAU-approved Star Names. In the 17th-century catalogue of stars in the Calendarium of Al Achsasi al Mouakket, this star was designated Aoul al Adzari (أول العذاري awwal al-adhara), which was translated into Latin as Prima Virginum, meaning First of the Virgins. Along with δ Canis Majoris (Wezen), η Canis Majoris (Aludra) and ο2 Canis Majoris (Thanih al Adzari), these stars were Al ʽAdhārā (العذاري), 'the Virgins'. In Chinese, Bow and Arrow refers to an asterism consisting of ε Canis Majoris, δ Canis Majoris, η Canis Majoris, κ Canis Majoris, ο Puppis, π Puppis, χ Puppis, c Puppis and k Puppis. Consequently, ε Canis Majoris itself is known as ( ).

Reader's Guide

ε Canis Majoris is a binary star. The primary, ε Canis Majoris A, has an apparent magnitude of +1.5 and belongs to the spectral classification B2. Its color is blue or blueish-white, due to the surface temperature of . It emits a total radiation equal to 38,700 times that of the Sun. This star is the brightest source of extreme ultraviolet in the night sky. It is the strongest source of photons capable of ionizing hydrogen atoms in interstellar gas near the Sun, and is very important in determining the ionization state of the Local Interstellar Cloud. Its rotation period is estimated to be about 5 days. The exact evolutionary status of is uncertain. Spectroscopically it has been given the class B2 II, with the luminosity class of II indicating that is a bright giant, more luminous than a typical giant (luminosity class III). However, it appears less luminous than expected for this luminosity class, and is more likely of class B2 III-II. Two studies suggest is still in the late main sequence (TAMS), rather than being a giant. One of these even suggested it could be the final product of a stellar merger. ε CMa A has sufficient mass to explode as a supernova. The +7.5-magnitude (the absolute magnitude amounts to +1.9) companion star, ε Canis Majoris B, is away with a position angle of 161° of the main star. Despite the relatively large angular distance the components can only be resolved in large telescopes, since the primary is approximately 250 times brighter than its companion. A few million years ago, ε Canis Majoris was much closer to the Sun than it is at present, causing it to be a much brighter star in the night sky. About 4.4 million years ago, Adhara was 9.3 pc from the Sun, and was the brightest star in the night sky with a magnitude of . No other star has attained this brightness since, nor will any other star attain this brightness for at least five million years.

Did You Know?

• USS Adhara (AK-71) was a U.S. Navy Crater-class cargo ship named after the star.
• ε Canis Majoris appears on the national flag of Brazil, symbolising the state of Tocantins.