Canis Major is a stunning constellation with many bright stars and clusters, unfortunately for observers in Britain it is always low in the sky so we never see it at its best. It represents one of the two dogs the other being Canis Minor that follows at the heels of Orion the Hunter. The brightest star in Canis Major, Sirius is also the brightest star in the sky. This is the dog star and sometimes known as the scorching one or the Nile star. Although low down in winter skies it is easy to find. If you do need a guide to find Sirius you can use the stars of Orion’s belt and draw a line down and to the left this will lead you to Sirius.