The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
Procyon
(pr´sn´´) (KEY) , brightest star in the constellation Canis Minor; Bayer designation Canis Minoris; 1992 position R.A. 7h38.9m, Dec.+5°15´. A yellow-white star of spectral class F5 IV-V, it is one of the nearer bright stars, lying about 11.5 light-years away. Its name is from the Greek meaning before the dog, i.e., before the Dog Star, Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. Procyon is a brilliant star in its own right, its apparent magnitude of 0.35 making it one of the 10 brightest stars in the sky. It is a visual binary star.