Sirius its constellation, Canis Major (Greater Dog). The heliacal rising of Sirius marked the flooding of the Nile in Ancient Egypt and the "dog days" of summer for the ancient Greeks, while to the Polynesians in the Southern Hemisphere the star marked winter and was an important reference for their navigation around the Pacific Ocean. The brightest star in the night sky, Sirius is recorded in the earliest astronomical records. Its displacement from the ecliptic causes this heliacal rising to be remarkably regular compared to other stars, with a period of almost exactly 365.25 days holding it constant relative to the
Sirius to have traditional astronomical knowledge about Sirius that would normally be considered impossible without the use of telescopes. In 1938 Marcel Griaule produced his dissertation and received his doctorate degree from the École pratique des hautes études (EPHE) based on his research work with the Dogon. According to Griaule's books "Conversations with Ogotemmêli" 1965 and "The Pale Fox" 1972 they knew about the fifty-year orbital period of Sirius and its companion prior to western astronomers. They also refer to a third star accompanying Sirius A and B. Robert Temple's 1976 book "The Sirius Mystery", credits them with knowledge of the