Procyon

Brightest star in the constellation Canis Minor and the eighth-brightest star in the night sky. Procyon is a white star 11.4 light years from the Sun, with a mass 1.7 times that of the Sun. It has a white dwarf companion that orbits it every 40 years.

The name, derived from Greek, means ‘before the dog’, and reflects the fact that in mid-northern latitudes Procyon rises shortly before Sirius, the Dog Star. Procyon and Sirius are sometimes called ‘the Dog Stars’. Both are relatively close to us and have white dwarf companions.