Hi Raoul

Jim's piece was good, but there's new data that backs his analysis to the hilt...

The Dogon Shame

As for "Red Sirius" you said...

But apparently, all writings from -150 BC to 980 AD state that Sirius was RED! As brilliant as it is now, but red (like Aldebaran, Antares or Betelgeuse)! This seems impossible if we know how stars evolve, as Sirius is now a white-blue star. How come? Is it because the star is so low above the horizon? That's not the case everywhere!

[but when was it observed? Time of day matters]

Did Sirius B turn nova?

[novas are only brief brightenings]

Sirius B is a white dwarf: it couldn't have changed from a red giant to a white dwarf in less than a million years.

[well it could as the AGB stage is brief and has several brightenings and fadings as helium is burnt on the core.]

Sirius A doesn't expell enough matter for Sirius B (8 to 32 AU from A) to turn nova.

[true, and unnecessary]

B would have to shine 10,000 times more for it to be noticeable. B being less massive should normally evolve much more slowly than A.

[it lost mass as all high mass stars do.]

It thus could not have reached the white dwarf state before A, unless it was captured.

[wrong - mass loss did it]

Herschel suggested a cloud of dust matter reddened A, but there was no reducing of the brilliance and where is that cloud?

[good point]

A team of astronomers (with Bonnet-Bidaud) has been hunting for Sirius C (which would explain a transfer of matter leaving C and reddening A when C was very close to A). C's orbit would be very excentic and last 2,000 years.
Problem: C has not been found and the team concluded it doesn't exist, not even as an exoplanet.

[the supposed Sirius C was part of the 'fake' Dogon myth Griaule passed off as Dogon, but was really 1920s astronews.]

Sirius may be the shiniest star in the northern hemisphere, but it still is....mysterious.

[Sure is. A brief red-giant flaring is possible, but it didn't leave a planetary nebula which is pretty weird.]

Adam