The individual stars which form a particular constellation may be of very different ages. The bright star Sirius, called "The Dog Star" (and part of Canis Major), is 200-300 million years old. But some of the other stars forming Canis Major are only 4 -5 million years old. The Greco-Egyptian astronomer Ptolemy (1,900 years ago), listed Orion and Canis Major in his famous catalog of 48 constellations. But the Greeks and Mesopotamians knew (and had already named) these constellations centuries earlier. The Ancient Egyptians knew that when Sirius was observed rising with the Sun (that is, during "The Dog Days of Summer"), that the Nile would soon bring its life-sustaining floods to the farmers who labored along its banks.
The story of Orion (the hunter), Canis Major (the dog) and Lepus (the hare) provided an understandable way for people to understand and remember the constellations. And it's a story which has not grown old.
Shown above, a Victorian English plate with a handsome brown "transfer pattern," made by Wedgwood (Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent) in the 1890's. "Transferware" is decorated by printing a pattern onto a flat piece of paper which is later "transferred" to the blank ceramic vessel before firing. At the center of this plate, a bird dog observes his prey. An Aesthetic Movement graphic encircles the plate's border. Plates such as these brought a bit of the outdoor "Sporting Life" to Victorian English tables. And it reminds us that hunters have always valued their loyal dogs. Click on the photo above to learn more about it.
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