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#REDIRECT [[Sirius#Cultural significance]]
:''The name "Sirius" is also often applied to people, animals, or things not directly connected with the star. For other uses, see [[Sirius (disambiguation)]].''


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[[Image:Sirius A and B artwork.jpg|thumb|right|300px|An artist's impression of Sirius A and Sirius B. Sirius A is the larger star, Sirius B the smaller white dwarf. (NASA)]]
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The [[planetary system]]s of [[star]]s other than the [[Sun]] and the [[Solar System]] are a staple element in much [[science fiction]]. [[Sirius]], a double star system with the binary designation Sirius [[Sirius#System|AB]], is the brightest stellar object in the night sky. Its component stars are [[Sirius#Sirius A|Sirius A]] (the primary—twice as massive and 25 times more luminous than the Sun<ref>{{cite journal |first=James |last=Liebert |last2=Young |first2=Patrick A. |last3=Arnett |first3=David |last4=Holberg |first4=Jay B. |last5=Williams |first5=Kurtis A. |title=The Age and Progenitor Mass of Sirius B |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |date=2005 |volume=630 |issue=1 |pages=L69–L72 |bibcode=2005ApJ...630L..69L |doi=10.1086/462419 |arxiv=astro-ph/0507523 |s2cid=8792889 }}</ref>) and [[Sirius#Sirius B|Sirius B]] (the secondary—a faint white dwarf).
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Sirius AB is the alpha star of the constellation [[Canis Major]] (the great dog, sometimes styled as [[Orion (constellation)|Orion's]] hunting dog<ref name=Iliad/>), whence its cognomen "the dog star". The most commonly used proper name of this star comes through the Latin ''Sirius'', from the Greek Σείριος (''Seirios'', ''glowing'' or ''scorcher''). The ancient Greeks observed that the appearance of Sirius heralded the hot and dry ''dog days'' of summer, and feared that it caused plants to wilt, men to weaken, and women to become aroused.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Holberg |first=J B |title=Sirius: Brightest Diamond in the Night Sky |page=[https://archive.org/details/siriusbrightestd0000holb/page/19 19] |year=2007 |publisher=Praxis Publishing |location=Chichester, UK |isbn=978-0-387-48941-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/siriusbrightestd0000holb/page/19 }}</ref> The star was also an important harbinger of winter to Maori and Polynesian cultures, and central to the animist beliefs of the [[Dogon people]] of Mali. To this day it is frequently mentioned in science fiction and related popular culture.<ref>{{cite book |last=The editors of ''[[Analog Science Fiction and Fact|Analog]]'' and ''[[Asimov's Science Fiction]]'' |title=Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy |publisher=[[St. Martin's Press|St. Martin's Griffin]] |year=1993 |location=New York |isbn=978-0-312-08926-9 |page=[https://archive.org/details/writingsciencefi00dozo/page/108 108] |url=https://archive.org/details/writingsciencefi00dozo/page/108 }}</ref>
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==General uses==
Fictional works that do not refer to Sirius as a location in space or the center of a planetary system include:
* ''[[Iliad|The Iliad]]'' (''c.'' eighth cent BCE), epic poem attributed to [[Homer]]. Homer describes the final approach of the Greeks' shining warrior, Achilles, toward Troy by comparing him to the dazzling star Sirius.<ref name=Iliad>{{cite book |title=[[Iliad]] |others=Trans. [[Richmond Lattimore]] |last=Homer |author-link=Homer |volume=22:25 |pages=435–436 |year=1962 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago |isbn= 0-226-46940-9 }}</ref> (sky, myth)
* ''[[Absalom and Achitophel]]'' (1681), satirical poem by [[John Dryden]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/27414/ |title=Absalom And Achitophel |last=Dryden |first=John |author-link=John Dryden |year=1681 |work=Read Book Online |access-date=2012-04-18 |pages=[etext: search on quotation] }}</ref>
* ''[[Far from the Madding Crowd]]'' (1874), novel by [[Thomas Hardy]]. Sirius makes several appearances in this book as a companion of other prominent stars, then as the follower of the Pleiades l.<ref>{{cite book |title=[[Far from the Madding Crowd]] |last=Hardy |first=Thomas |author-link=Thomas Hardy |year=2000 |publisher=Penguin Classics |location=London |pages=9; 12 |isbn=978-0-14-143965-5 }}</ref> (sky)
<!-----NOTE: "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" (Hardy) below contains EM-DASHES SEPARATED BY SPACES. This is not Wikipedia style, but faithfully reproduces the style of the original work.----->
* ''[[Tess of the d'Urbervilles]]'' (1891), novel by [[Thomas Hardy]]. Tess sits with her new husband Angel before the embers of a fire, and her jewelry sparkles in its crimson glare.<ref>{{cite book |title=[[Tess of the d'Urbervilles]] |last=Hardy |first=Thomas |author-link=Thomas Hardy |year=2009 |publisher=Arcturus |location=London |page=218 |isbn=978-1-84837-322-8 }}</ref>
* ''[[Dogsbody (novel)|Dogsbody]]'' (1975), juvenile novel by [[Diana Wynne Jones]]. The star Sirius (the dog star) is an intelligent being falsely accused by his peers of murdering another star.<ref>{{cite book |title=[[Dogsbody (novel)|Dogsbody]] |last=Jones |first=Diana Wynne |author-link=Diana Wynne Jones |year=1975 |publisher=[[HarperCollins#Current|Greenwillow Books]] |location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/dogsbody00dian/page/5 5] |isbn=0-06-441038-2 }}</ref>
* ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' (1977), compendium of mythopoetic works by [[J. R. R. Tolkien]], including the creation myth limning the origins of the Elvish race: Sirius is called ''Helluin'' by the Elves.<ref>{{cite book |title=[[The Silmarillion]] |last=Tolkien |first=J R R |author-link=J. R. R. Tolkien |year=1977 |publisher=[[Houghton Mifflin Harcourt]] |location=Boston, MA |page=32 |others=ed. [[Christopher Tolkien]] |isbn=978-0-547-95198-0 }}</ref>
* ''[[Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas]]'' (1994), novel by [[Tom Robbins]]. The plot refers to the [[The Sirius Mystery|Sirius mysteries]] and the mythology surrounding the [[Dogon people]] of Mali in west Africa.<ref>{{cite book |last = Hoyser |first=Catherine E |author2=Lorena Laura Stookey |title=Tom Robbins: A Critical Companion |publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group|Greenwood Press]] |location=Westport, CT |year=1997 |pages = 9; 150 |url = https://archive.org/details/tomrobbinscritic00hoys |url-access = registration |quote = Tom Robbins: A Critical Companion. |isbn = 0-313-29418-6| access-date=2012-04-21 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=[[The Sirius Mystery|The Sirius Mystery: New Scientific Evidence of Alien Contact 5,000 Years Ago]] |last=Temple |first=Robert |author-link=Robert K. G. Temple |year=1998 |publisher=Destiny Books |location=Merrimac, MA |others=passim |isbn=0-89281-750-X }}</ref>

==Literature==
<!--"Sirius Black" does not belong here, as it is not an instance of the star Sirius appearing in fiction.-->
* ''[[True History]]'' (''c''. second cent CE), travel tale by the Greek-speaking Syrian author [[Lucian of Samosata]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Fredericks |first=S C |title=Lucian's "True History" as SF |journal=[[Science Fiction Studies]] |volume=3 |issue=1 |year=1976 |pages=49–60 |url=http://www.depauw.edu/sfs/backissues/8/fredericks8art.htm |access-date=2012-04-22 }}</ref> The novel mentions alien Sirian ''acorn-dogs'' ("dog-faced men fighting on winged acorns"), who help him carry the day.<ref>{{cite book |title=Collected Ancient Greek Novels |last=Reardon |first=B P |year=2008 |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |location=Berkeley, CA |pages=619–622 |isbn=978-0-520-25655-2 }}</ref>
* "[[Micromégas]]" (1752), short story by [[Voltaire]]. The tale recounts the visit to Earth of a giant from a world circling the star Sirius.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=[[The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]] |last1=Clute |first1=John |authorlink1=John Clute |last2=Nicholls |first2=Peter |authorlink2=Peter Nicholls (writer) |year=1993 |publisher=[[St. Martin’s Press|St Martin’s Griffin]] |location=New York |pages=1287–1288 |isbn=0-312-13486-X |title=Voltaire }}</ref>
* "[[A Vision of Judgment]]" (1899), short story by [[H.G. Wells]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Short Stories of H.G. Wells |last=Wells |chapter=[[A Vision of Judgment]]—§9 |first=H G |author-link=H.G. Wells |year=1927 |location=London |publisher=[[Ernest Benn Limited|Ernest Benn]] |page=114 }}</ref>
* ''[[Robert William Cole|The Struggle for Empire: A Story of the Year 2236]] ''(1900), novel by [[Robert William Cole]]. The story describes a devastating interstellar war between Earth's Anglo-Saxon Empire and the natives of the Sirian planet Kairet.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?19857 |title=Bibliography: The Struggle for Empire |last=Cole |first=Robert |author-link=Robert_William_Cole |year=1900 |work=[[Internet Speculative Fiction Database]] |access-date=2012-05-30 }}</ref>
* "Proof" (1942), short story by [[Hal Clement]] published in ''[[Analog Science Fiction and Fact|Astounding Science-Fiction]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?46572 |title=Bibliography: Proof |last=Clement |first=Hal |author-link=Hal Clement |year=1942 |work=[[Internet Speculative Fiction Database]] |access-date=2012-04-23 }}</ref>
* ''[[Foundation series]]'' (1951- ), novels by [[Isaac Asimov]]. The star system 61 Cygni, in the ''Sirius Sector'', is advanced by Lord Dorwin as a potential site for the planet of origin of the human species.<ref>{{cite book |title=''[[Foundation (Asimov novel)|Foundation]]'' |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |author-link=Isaac Asimov |year=2008 |publisher=[[Tom Doherty|Tom Doherty Associates]] |location=New York |page=23 |isbn=978-0-7653-1912-8 }}</ref><ref>Isaac Asimov. ''[[Foundation's Edge]]'', Del Rey/Ballantine Books, New York, ç1982 p.218</ref>
* ''[[Pebble In The Sky]]'' (1950) protagonist is from Sirius - Sirius sector extensively mentioned.<ref>Isaac Asimov. ''Pebble in the Sky'', Fawcett Crest, Grenwich, 1950 p.28</ref>
* "[[Allamagoosa]]" (1955), short story by [[Eric Frank Russell]] published in ''[[Analog Science Fiction and Fact|Astounding Science-Fiction]]''.<ref>{{cite book |title=[[The Hugo Winners]] |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |author-link=Isaac Asimov |year=1962 |publisher=[[Fawcett Publications|Fawcett Crest]] |location=Robbinsdale, MN |volume=1 |page=86 }}</ref>
* ''[[Wasp (novel)|Wasp]]'' (1957), novel by [[Eric Frank Russell]]. Earth is at war with the crypto-nazi Sirian Empire.<ref>{{cite book |title=Wasp |last=Russell |first=E F |author-link=Eric Frank Russell |year=2007 |publisher=Pollinger |location=London |page=31 |isbn=978-1-905665-45-7 }}</ref>
* ''[[Lucky Starr and the Rings of Saturn]]'' (1958), sixth and final novel in the juvenile series written by [[Isaac Asimov]] as by Paul French. The Sirians have established a colony on Saturn's moon Titan and claimed the moon for their own.<ref>{{cite book |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |author-link=Isaac Asimov |title=[[Lucky Starr and the Rings of Saturn]] |year=1958 |page=8 |publisher=[[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] |location=New York }}</ref>
* ''[[Edmund Cooper#As Edmund Cooper|Seed of Light]]'' (1959), novel by [[Edmund Cooper]]. The tale concerns the voyage of a [[generation starship]] to the Sirius system.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=[[The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]] |last1=Clute |first1=John |authorlink1=John Clute |last2=Nicholls |first2=Peter |authorlink2=Peter Nicholls (writer) |year=1993 |publisher=[[St. Martin’s Press|St Martin’s Griffin]] |location=New York |page=263 |isbn=0-312-13486-X |title=Cooper, Edmund }}</ref>
* ''[[Space Opera (Vance novel)|Space Opera]]'' (1965), novel by [[Jack Vance]]. The characters are to perform [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven’s]] ''[[Fidelio]]'' for the edification of the byzantaurs of Sirius Planet.<ref>{{cite book |title=[[Space Opera (Vance novel)|Space Opera]] |last=Vance |first=Jack |author-link=Jack Vance |others=Multiple editors |year=2005 |publisher=[[Jack Vance#The Vance Integral Edition|The Vance Integral Edition]] |location=Oakland, CA |volume=18 |pages=54–74 |isbn=0-9712375-1-4 }}</ref>
* ''[[The Starlight Barking]]'' (1967), novel by [[Dodie Smith]].<ref>{{cite book |title=[[The Starlight Barking]] |last=Smith |first=Dodie |author-link=Dodie Smith |year=1997 |publisher=[[St. Martin's Press]] |location=New York |pages=[https://archive.org/details/starlightbarking00smit_0/page/111 111; 115] |isbn=0-312-15664-2 }}</ref>
* "Foeman, Where Do You Flee?" (1969), novelette by [[Ben Bova]] published in the collection ''[[Ben Bova#Collections|Maxwell's Demons]]'' (1979).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?52076 |title=Bibliography: Foeman, Where Do You Flee? |work=The Internet Speculative Fiction Database |access-date=2012-04-29 }}</ref>
* ''[[Ben Bova#Non-series novels|As on a Darkling Plain]]'' (1972), novel by [[Ben Bova]]. An interstellar expedition explores the planet Sirius A II.<ref>{{cite book |title=[[Ben Bova#Non-series novels|As on a Darkling Plain]] |last=Bova |first=Ben |author-link=Ben Bova |year=1972 |publisher=[[Dell Publishing|Dell]] |location=New York |page=86 }}</ref>
* "[[The Borderland of Sol]]" (1975), [[Known Space]] short story by [[Larry Niven]] published in the collection ''[[Larry Niven#Known Space|Tales of Known Space]]'' (1975). [[Jinx (Known Space)|JInx]] is a massive moon of the [[gas giant]] Primary in orbit around Sirius A.<ref>{{cite book |title=[[Larry Niven#Known Space|Tales of Known Space]] |last=Niven |first=Larry |author-link=Larry Niven |year=1975 |publisher=[[Ballantine Books]] |location=New York |page=157 |isbn=0-345-24563-6}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.oinc.net/knownspace/enc/ |title=Jinx |last=O'Neill |first=Brian |year=2011 |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Known Space |access-date=2012-04-28 |page=[etext: search on ''Jinx''] }}</ref>{{refn |group=note |Substantial or passing references to Jinx and its extensively adapted human inhabitants—the ''Jinxians''—appear in almost all of Niven's tales of Known Space.}}
* ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'' (1979), novel and series by [[Douglas Adams]]. Most of the technology mentioned in the ''Hitchhiker'' series consists of products of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation.
* ''[[The Sirian Experiments]]'' (1980), third novel in the ''[[Canopus in Argos]]'' series by literature Nobelist [[Doris Lessing]]. The Sirian Empire, centred in the Sirius star system, has advanced technology that makes its citizens effectively immortal and sophisticated machines that do almost everything for them.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=[[The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]] |last1=Clute |first1=John |authorlink1=John Clute |last2=Nicholls |first2=Peter |authorlink2=Peter Nicholls (writer) |year=1993 |publisher=[[St. Martin’s Press|St Martin’s Griffin]] |location=New York |page=714 |isbn=0-312-13486-X |title=Lessing, Doris }}</ref>
* ''[[Legend of the Galactic Heroes]]'' (1982), Japanese novel series, written by [[Yoshiki Tanaka]]. Sirius is the leader of human dissident colonies in the Galaxy.
* ''[[The Songs of Distant Earth]]'' (1986), novel by [[Arthur C. Clarke]].
* ''[[The Garden of Rama]]'' (1991), novel written by [[Arthur C. Clarke]] and [[Gentry Lee]], a sequel to the novels ''[[Rendezvous with Rama]]'' and ''[[Rama II (novel)|Rama II]]''.
* ''Great North Road'' (2012), novel by [[Peter F. Hamilton]]. The story is set partially on the habitable world of St Libra in the Sirius star system.

==Film and television==
* "[[Mudd's Passion]]" (1973), episode of'' [[Star Trek: The Animated Series]]''.
* "[[Frontier in Space]]" (1973), serial of the British television series ''[[Doctor Who]]''.
* ''[[V (1983 miniseries)|V]]'' (1983–1985), miniseries and regular television series created by [[Kenneth Johnson (producer)|Kenneth Johnson]]. Carnivorous reptilian humanoids from Sirius IV invade the Earth.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=[[The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]] |last1=Clute |first1=John |authorlink1=John Clute |last2=Nicholls |first2=Peter |authorlink2=Peter Nicholls (writer) |year=1993 |publisher=[[St. Martin’s Press|St Martin’s Griffin]] |location=New York |page=1263 |isbn=0-312-13486-X |title=V }}</ref>
* "[[The Caves of Androzani]]" (1984), serial of the British television series ''[[Doctor Who]]''. The colonized planets Androzani Major and Androzani Minor are in the Sirius system.
* ''[[Children of the Dog Star]]'' (1984), New Zealand television program written by [[Ken Catran]] and directed by Chris Bailey. Three children on holiday in rural New Zealand find and assemble the parts of what turns out to be a space probe from the Sirius B system.
* ''[[Screamers (1995 film)|Screamers]]'' (1995), film set on Sirius B VI, called Sirius 6B.

==Games==
* ''[[I-War (Independence War)|Independence War]]'' (1997–1998), computer game.<ref>{{cite web |title=Independence War Deluxe |url=http://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility/browse/name/?app_id=7908 |work=[[CodeWeavers]] |page=click on ellipsis for full review |access-date=2012-05-10 }}</ref>
* ''[[Freelancer (video game)|Freelancer]]'' (2003), video game.<ref>{{cite web |last=Sulic |first=Ivan |title=Freely Lancing |work=IGN |publisher=[[IGN Entertainment]] |date=2003-01-07 | url = http://pc.ign.com/articles/381/381740p1.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20030110095848/http://pc.ign.com/articles/381/381740p1.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = January 10, 2003 |access-date=2012-05-07 }}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Stars and planetary systems in fiction]]
*[[Binary stars in fiction]]

==Notes and references==

===Notes===
{{Reflist|group=note}}

===References===
{{Reflist}}

{{Astronomical locations in fiction}}

<!--Categories-->
[[Category:Fiction set around Sirius| ]]
[[Category:Lists of astronomical locations in fiction]]

Latest revision as of 19:07, 3 May 2024

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