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 Chaucer's essay "Treatise on the Astrolabe", it bears the name Alhabor, and is depicted by a hound's head. This name is widely used on medieval astrolabes from Western Europe. In Sanskrit it is known as "Mrgavyadha" "deer hunter", or "Lubdhaka" "hunter". As Mrgavyadha, the star represents Rudra (Shiva). The star is referred as "Makarajyoti" in Malayalam and has religious significance to the pilgrim center Sabarimala. In Scandinavia, the star has been known as "Lokabrenna" ("burning done by Loki", or "Loki's torch"). In the astrology of the Middle Ages, Sirius was a Behenian fixed star, associated with beryl and juniper. Its