Priscilla Frisch's page is interesting.
I didn't realise how important Adhara was as a source of UV when you are looking at the interstellar medium. This star (Epsilon Canis Majoris) is the brightest UV star in the sky as seen from Earth, and illuminates the dust all around for hundreds of light years.
Interestingly Adhara was once a lot closer to Earth, and 5 million years ago was the brightest visual star in the sky as well (according to wiki)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epsilon_Canis_Majoris