Canopus (/kəˈnoʊpəs/; α Car, α Carinae, Alpha Carinae) is the brightest star in the southern constellation of Carina and Argo Navis, and the second brightest star in the night-time sky, after Sirius. Canopus's visual magnitude is −0.72, and it has an absolute magnitude of −5.53.

Canopus is a supergiant of spectral type F. Canopus is essentially white when seen with the naked eye (although F-type stars are sometimes listed as "yellowish-white"). It is located in the far southern sky, at a declination of −52° 42' (2000) and a right ascension of 06h24.0m.

In the southern hemisphere, Canopus and Sirius are both visible high in the sky simultaneously, and reach the meridian just 21 minutes apart. It is a circumpolar star when seen from points that have latitude south of 37°18' south; for example, Victoria and Tasmania, Australia; Auckland and south of it, New Zealand; Bahía Blanca, Argentina; and Valdivia, Chile and south of these cities in South America. Since Canopus is so far south in the sky, it never rises in mid- or far-northern latitudes; in theory the northern limit of visibility is latitude 37°18' north. This is just south of Athens, Richmond (USA), and San Francisco, and very close to Seville. It is almost exactly the latitude of Lick Observatory on Mt. Hamilton, California, from which it is readily visible due to the effects of elevation and atmospheric refraction, which add another degree to its apparent altitude. Under ideal conditions it has been spotted as far north as latitude 37°31' from the Pacific coast. It is more easily visible in Gibraltar, Los Angeles, Albuquerque, and Atlanta.

Brian Blade (born July 25, 1970) in Shreveport, Louisiana is an American jazz drummer, composer, session musician, and singer-songwriter.

As a young boy, Blade grew up in a home in Shreveport, Louisiana in which he frequently heard Gospel music and soul music. In elementary school, his music appreciation classes furthered this musical upbringing, and at age nine he began playing the violin; he continued to do so until age thirteen, when he, inspired by his brother, Brady Blade, Jr., became a drummer.

During highschool Brian began listening to the music of John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Thelonious Monk, Elvin Jones, and Joni Mitchell. By the age of eighteen, Brian moved to New Orleans to attend Loyola University. During this period, he was able to study and play with most of the master musicians living in New Orleans, such as: John Vidacovich, Ellis Marsalis, Steve Masakowski, Bill Huntington, Mike Pellera, John Mahoney, George French, Germaine Bazzle, David Lee, Jr., Alvin Red Tyler, Tony Dagradi and Harold Battiste. Blade made his first recorded appearances as a sideman with Kenny Garrett and Joshua Redman and continued to work in that capacity with other musicians.