Nearly due south of Sirius, the brightest star, lies Canopus, the second-brightest. A dazzling whitish star, Canopus takes its name from a bit player in one of the earliest epics of western literature, and it embodies mystical properties of happiness and long life, according to ancient legends of the far East. It’s just below the southern horizon for many northern observers, but the star is a splendid sight for observers in the southern hemisphere and for those who venture to the southern reaches of the northern hemisphere during the winter months...