NGC 2207
in the constellation Canis Major

The Chupa Galaxy

Congratulations Chupa!

The galaxy known as NGC 2207 in the constellation Canis Major — the Big Dog — has been named after you. It is the larger galaxy on the left in the picture above. We know you've gotten fairly big from all those Oscar Meyer treats your dad has been feeding you, which is why we didn't choose a galaxy in Canis Minor (the Little Dog). Be that as it may, another reason we chose Canis Major is that it's very close to NGC 2359 (Thor's Helmet Nebula). Since your dad is a tall blond human, that would make you both Big Dogs in your own way.

We don't know if your bark is worse than your bite, but watch out! Your galaxy is colliding with IC 2163 (the smaller galaxy on the right), and we'll just have to wait a few billion years to see which big dog wins. In the meantime, listen to your Dad who we heard really likes astronomy, and maybe he'll take you for a walk to see the Geminid Meteor Shower on the night of December 13th and the Grand Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn on December 21st when the two planets merge into one. We know that dogs can only see blue and yellow; no problem, Jupiter is white and Saturn is yellow. Tell your Dad to look for them in the low southwestern sky. He'll be able to point them out, but don't try and fetch them, they're at least 543 million miles away!