CANES VENATICI ("the Hounds," or "the Grey hounds"), in astronomy, a constellation of the northern hemi sphere named by Hevelius in 169o, who compiled it from the stars between the older asterisms Ursa Major, Bates and Coma Berenices. The constellation contains a famous spiral nebula first described by Lord Rosse (N.G.C. 5,194) ; also a bright globular cluster (Messier 3) .