A star in the constellation Ursa Major. The brightest star in the constellation Ursa Major add your price to the database comment

Big Dipper- constellation of the northern hemisphere of the sky. Seven Stars Ursa Major form a shape resembling a ladle with a handle. The two brightest stars, Alioth and Dubhe, have a magnitude of 1.8 apparent magnitude. By the two extreme stars of this figure (α and β) you can find the North Star. The best visibility conditions are in March-April. Visible throughout Russia all year round(except for the autumn months in southern Russia, when Ursa Major descends low to the horizon).

There are about 125 stars in the constellation, but only seven are called the largest and brightest: Dubhe, Merak, Phekda, Megrets, Aliot, Mizar and Alkaid. Between themselves they form a bucket that is visible to the naked eye.

The legend of the appearance of the constellation

In distant Greenland there is also a legend in which the constellation Ursa Major appears. The mythology and history of this cluster are quite popular. But one story that has gained the greatest popularity among Eskimos is one that absolutely everyone talks about. It was even suggested that this legend is not fiction, but the pure truth. In a snowy house, on the very edge of Greenland, lived the great hunter Eriulok. He lived alone in a hut because he was arrogant, considering himself the best in his field. That's why he didn't want to communicate with his other tribesmen. For many years in a row he went to sea and always returned with rich booty. His house always had a lot of food and seal fat, and the walls of his home were decorated with the best skins of walruses, seals and seals.

Eriulok was rich, well-fed, but lonely. And loneliness over time began to weigh on the great hunter. He tried to make friends with his fellow Eskimos, but they did not want to have anything to do with their arrogant relative. Apparently, he offended them greatly at one time. In desperation, Eriulok went to the Arctic Ocean and called the mistress of the sea depths, the goddess Arnarkuachssak. He told her about himself and his trouble. The goddess promised to help, but in return Eriulok had to bring her a ladle with magic berries that would restore the goddess’s youth. The hunter agreed and went to a distant island and found a cave guarded by a bear. After much torment, he put the forest animal to sleep and stole a ladle of berries. The goddess did not deceive the hunter and gave him a wife, and in return received magic berries.

After all the adventures, Eriulok married and became the father of a large family, to the envy of all the neighbors in the area. As for the goddess, she ate all the berries, became a couple of hundred centuries younger and, in joy, threw the empty ladle into the sky, where it, caught on something, remained hanging.

Stars and asterisms

Ursa Major is the third largest constellation in area (after Hydra and Virgo), whose seven bright stars form the famous Big Dipper; this asterism has been known since ancient times among many peoples under different names: Rocker, Plow, Elk, Cart, Seven Sages, etc. All the stars of the Bucket have their own Arabic names:

Dubhe(α Ursa Major) means “bear”;
Merak(β) - “lower back”;
Fekda(γ) - “thigh”;
Megrets(δ) - “beginning of the tail”;
Alioth(ε) - the meaning is not clear (but most likely this name means “fat tail”);
Mizar(ζ) - “sash” or “loincloth”.
The last star in the handle of the Bucket is called Benetnash or Alkaid(η); In Arabic, al-Qa'id Banat Nash means "leader of the mourners." This poetic image is taken from the Arabic folk understanding of the constellation Ursa Major.

In the system of naming stars using Greek letters, the order of the letters simply corresponds to the order of the stars.

Another interpretation of asterism is reflected in the alternative name Hearse and Mourners. Here the asterism is thought of as a funeral procession: in front are mourners, headed by a leader, followed by a funeral bier. This explains the name of the star η Ursa Major, “leader of the mourners.”

Inner stars of the Bucket

The 5 inner stars of the Bucket (except for the outer ones α and η) really belong to a single group in space - the moving Ursa Major cluster, which moves quite quickly across the sky; Dubhe and Benetnash move in the opposite direction, so the shape of the Bucket changes significantly in about 100,000 years.

Stars Merak and Dubhe

They form the wall of the Bucket and are called Signposts, since the straight line drawn through them rests on the North Star (in the constellation Ursa Minor). Six stars of the Bucket have a brilliance of the 2nd magnitude, and only Megrets is of the 3rd magnitude.

Alcor

Next to Mizar, which was the second telescopically discovered double star (Giovanni Riccioli in 1650; as of the early 2000s, it was probably observed as a double as early as 1617 by Galileo). A keen eye sees the 4th magnitude star Alcor (80 Ursa Major), which in Arabic means “forgotten” or “insignificant”. It is believed that the ability to distinguish the Alcor star has been a recognized test of vigilance since ancient times. The pair of stars Mizar and Alcor is often interpreted as an asterism " Horse and rider».

Three gazelle jumps

A peculiar asterism Three gazelle jumps Arabic origin consists of three pairs of closely spaced stars, and the pairs are on the same straight line and separated by equal distances. Associated with the hoof marks of a gazelle moving in leaps. Includes stars:

Alula North and Alula South (ν and ξ, first jump),
Taniya North and Taniya South (λ and μ, second jump),
Talita North and Talita South (ι and κ, third jump).

Arcturus

Aliot, Mizar and Benetnash form an extended arc that points to Arcturus - the brightest star, which is located north of the celestial equator, and is also the brightest star visible in the spring in the mid-latitudes of Russia. As this arc extends further south, it points to Spica, the brightest star in the Virgo constellation.

Lalande 21185

A red dwarf located in the Alula North region and inaccessible to observations naked eye. one third of the lunar disk.

Legends about the constellation. Star of Dubhe

There are a huge number of legends and tales about the cluster of luminaries Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. There is the following belief about the brightest star Dubha from the constellation Ursa Major. The daughter of King Lycaon, the beautiful Callisto was one of the hunters of the goddess Artemis. Almighty Zeus fell in love with Callisto, and she gave birth to a boy, Arcas. For this, Zeus' jealous wife Hera turned Callisto into a bear. When Arkas grew up and became a hunter, he picked up the trail of a bear and was already preparing to hit the beast with an arrow. Zeus, seeing what was happening, did not allow the murder. It was he who turned Arkas into a smaller bear. The Lord of Heaven placed them in the firmament so that mother and son would always remain together.

Ursa Major ranks third among the constellations in terms of area, but unusually few variable stars have been found there - as of 2011, it is not among the top ten constellations in terms of this indicator.

The Hubble Ultra Deep Field was imaged in an area one-twelfth the size of the lunar disk near the star Megrets. For 2011 this is one of the most detailed images starry sky, which makes it possible to distinguish many galaxies billions of light years away from Earth.
Scars in the shape of the constellation Ursa Major on the chest are worn by a character from the popular anime and manga series Hokuto No Ken, Kenshiro in many countries. At the moment, only the independent three-part short story “Fist of the North Star: New Era” is available in the official Russian translation.
The world's first cryogenic company is named after a star from the constellation Ursa Major.
Soviet archaeologist and historian, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Rybakov B.A. in his famous work he wrote: “The most important constellation of our northern hemisphere - Ursa Major - in the Russian North was called “Elk”, “Elk”... Among the Poles, the North Star is called the “Elk Star” (Gwiazda Łosiowa). Among the Evenks, the constellation Ursus Major (Ursus Major) is called “Moose Haglen”.
In the animated series Gravity Falls, the main character Dipper Pines has a birthmark in the form of this constellation on his forehead. Because of him, he received the nickname Dipper ( dipper from English - ladle, and the constellation Ursa Major is sometimes called the Big Dipper).

Deep shot of the constellation Ursa Major

The constellation Ursa Major is one of the largest constellations in area, third after Hydra and Virgo. This part of the sky contains more than 200 stars, and up to 125 stars can be distinguished with the naked eye on a moonless night far outside the city.

However, the constellation Ursa Major has become most recognizable thanks to the group of seven stars that form the so-called. Big Bucket. Such easily distinguishable groups of stars are called “asterisms”.

Since people initially associated this area of the sky only with the Big Dipper asterism, most of the existing names were corresponding:

The ancient Greeks called the constellation “Gelika”, which translated means “shell”, sometimes “Arktos” - “ursa” or “bear”. According to some Greek authors, Ursa Major served the ancient Greeks as a navigator. According to the Greek myth, Zeus turned two Cretan nymphs into bears in order to hide them from Kronos. According to another version - the nymph Callisto, to hide from his sister and wife - Hera.
The Indian (Sanskrit) name of the constellation sounds like “Sapta Rishi”, which means “seven sages”. We are talking about the seven sons of the god Brahma, who are considered the ancestors of all, as well as the actual creators of the Universe. In Indian astronomy, the seven stars of the Big Dipper are named after sages.
Kazakh nomads called the constellation “Seven Thieves” (Zhetikarakshy). According to legend, the supreme sky deity Tengri tied his two horses to an Iron Peg. Here the Iron stake (“Temirkazyk”) is, and the horses are two stars close to it (probably Polar A and Polar B). Then the seven stars of the Big Dipper are robbers intent on stealing horses, and therefore they constantly circle around them.
Chinese astronomers called the constellation “North Dipper” (“Beidou”), since at that time the handle of the Big Dipper pointed almost to the north pole.
In Slavic culture, this constellation was called “Elk”, as it was originally associated with this animal. IN Ancient Rus' The Big Dipper was also called the “Horse at the Pin,” where the Big Dipper, like a horse pinned to the North Star, constantly moves around it - around the pin.

Stars of the Big Dipper

"Bucket" Ursa Major

The Big Dipper is formed by the following seven stars:

It is noteworthy that the Big Dipper asterism also has another name - “Hearse and Mourners”. According to this idea, the three stars form mourners, headed by a leader (“Al-Qa’id Banat is ours”), behind which a funeral bier moves.

On average, the stars that form the Big Dipper are located at a distance of 120 light years from Earth. These luminaries are not the brightest in our sky; their average magnitude is close to 2m. However, almost everyone will have no difficulty finding them in the sky.

The so-called Ursa Major moving group is distinguished, the core of which consists of 14 stars. 13 of them are included in the constellation Ursa Major, and 5 are in the Big Dipper (Merak, Phekda, Megrets, Aliot and Mizar). Unlike the stars in this group, which move at similar speeds in one direction, the other two Dipper stars (Dubhe and Benetnasha) move in the opposite direction, causing the shape of the Big Dipper to undergo noticeable deformation over the course of 100,000 years.

It is worth saying that in 2009, a new study found that in fact Mizar and Alcor are a sixfold system, where the double luminaries Mizar A and B orbit the double star Alcor. Don't be surprised, they are often born in pairs and in clusters.

Other objects of Ursa Major

In addition to the Big Dipper, in the constellation Ursa Major you can also see an asterism called the Three Leaps of the Gazelle, which looks like three pairs of stars. We are talking about the following pairs:

Alula North South (ν and ξ),
Taniya North and South (λ and μ),
Talitha North and South (ι and κ).

Near Alupa North there is a red dwarf called Lalande 21185, which is elusive to observation with the naked eye. However, it is the sixth closest star system to the Sun. Closer to the stars Sirius A and B.

Observational astronomers are well aware that this constellation contains the galaxy M101 (called Pinwheel), as well as the galaxies M81 and M82. The last two form the core of what is probably the closest group of galaxies, located at a distance of about 7 million light years. In contrast to these distant objects, the astronomical body M 97 (“Owl”) is located within the Milky Way, hundreds of times closer. The Owl is one of the largest planetary nebulae.

In the middle, between the first and second “gazelle jump”, using optics you can see a small yellow dwarf similar to our Sun number 47. From 2000 to 2010, scientists discovered three exoplanets, gas giants, orbiting around it. This star system is also one of the most similar to the Solar System and ranks 72nd on the list of candidates for the search for Earth-like planets carried out as part of the planned NASA Terrestrial Planet Finder mission. So for an astronomy lover, the constellation is of great interest.

In 2013 and 2016, two of the most distant galaxies from us were discovered in the constellation, z8 GND 5296 and GN-z11, respectively. The light from these galaxies, recorded by scientists, lasted 13.02 (z8 GND 5296) and 13.4 (GN-z11) billion years.

Among the non-astronomical facts, it is worth noting that the Big Dipper is depicted on the flag of White Sea Karelia, and on the flag of Alaska - together with the polar star.

Flag of Alaska (left) and White Sea Karelia (right)

List of constellations in the spring sky
	· ·

Ursa Major (lat. Ursa Major) is a constellation in the northern hemisphere of the sky. The seven stars of Ursa Major form a shape resembling a ladle with a handle. The two brightest stars, Alioth and Dubhe, have a magnitude of 1.8 apparent magnitude. By the two extreme stars of this figure (α and β) you can find the North Star. The best visibility conditions are in March - April. Visible throughout Russia all year round (with the exception of the autumn months in southern Russia, when Ursa Major descends low to the horizon).

Short description

Big Dipper
Lat. Name	Ursa Major (genus Ursae Majoris)
Reduction	UMa
Symbol	Big Dipper
Right ascension	from 7 h 58 m to 14 h 25 m
Declension	from +29° to +73° 30’
Square	1280 sq. degrees (3rd place)
Brightest stars (value< 3 m)	Alioth (ε UMa) – 1.76 m Dubhe (α UMa) – 1.81 m Benetnash (η UMa) – 1.86 m Mizar (ζ UMa) – 2.23 m Merak (β UMa) – 2.34 m Fekda (γ UMa) – 2.41 m
Meteor showers	Ursids Leonids-Ursids April Ursids
Neighboring constellations	The Dragon Giraffe Little Leo Veronica's hair Hound Dogs Bootes
The constellation is visible at latitudes from +90° to -16°. Best time for observation - March.

Detailed description

The constellation Ursa Major is located in the northern hemisphere of the starry sky. People have known it for many thousands of years. He was known to astronomers in Egypt, Babylon, China and Ancient Greece. It was included by Claudius Ptolemy in his monograph “Almagest” back in the 2nd century. And this work united all the knowledge on astronomy for that period of time.

The Big Dipper is formed by the following seven stars:

Dubhe (Alpha Ursa Major), the name comes from the Arabic expression - “back of the big bear.”
Merak (β) – from Arabic “loin” or “groin”.
Fekda (γ) – “thigh”.
Megrets (δ) – “base of the tail.” It is the faintest star among the stars of the Big Dipper.
Aliot (ε) – “fat tail”. Most bright Star of this constellation.
Mizar (ζ) – from Arabic – “belt”. Near Mizar there is another star - Alcor. It is noteworthy that the ability to distinguish between these two stars is a consequence of good vision (with myopia of no more than 1 diopter).
Benetnash (η) or otherwise – Alkaid. The third brightest star in Ursa Major. “Al-Qaeda banat ours” is translated from Arabic as “leader of the mourners.”

As you can see, this formation includes 7 stars. If you connect them with a straight line, you get a figure that resembles a ladle with a handle. Each star has its own name. At the top point of the bucket, opposite the handle, there is a star, which is called Dubhe. It is the second brightest among its cosmic counterparts. This is a multiple star. That is, several stars from Earth are seen as one due to their close distance to each other.

In this case we are dealing with 3 stars. The largest of them is a red giant. That is, the core has already lost all its hydrogen reserves, and thermonuclear reaction goes on the surface of the star. It dies, and over time it should turn into a white dwarf or become a black hole. The other two stars are Main Sequence stars, that is, the same as our Sun.

On the same straight line with Dubhe, at the base of the bucket, there is a star Merak. This is a very bright light. It is 69 times brighter than our Sun, but due to the vastness of outer space it does not make the proper impression. If the straight line between Merak and Dubhe is extended towards the constellation Ursa Minor, then you can run into the North Star. It is located at a distance that is 5 times the distance between the indicated luminaries.

The other lowest point of the bucket is called Fekda. This is a Main Sequence star. The top point of the bucket located opposite it is called Megrets. She is the dimmest in the friendly company. This star is almost 1.5 times larger than our star and 14 times brighter.

There is a star at the beginning of the handle Alioth. It is the brightest in the constellation Ursa Major. Among all the visible stars in the sky, it ranks 33rd in brightness. From the end of the handle it is the third in a row, and the second is a star Mizar. Next to it there is another luminary, which is called Alcor. Anyone with good eyesight can see it. They say that in ancient times, Alcor was used to test the visual acuity of young men who aspired to become sailors. If a young man could see this star next to Mizar, then he was enrolled as a sailor.

In reality, not 2 stars shine in the cosmic distance, but as many as 6. These are the double stars Mizar A and Mizar B, as well as double star Alcor. But from Earth, with the naked eye, only a large bright point and a small one that is nearby are visible. These are the kind of surprises that space sometimes brings.

And finally, the outermost star. It is called Benetnash or Alkaid. All these names are taken from Arabic. In this case, the literal translation means “leader of the mourners.” That is, the alkaid is the leader, and our banat is the mourners. This star is the third brightest after Aliot and Dubhe. It ranks 35th among the brightest stars in the sky.

The brightest stars of Ursa Major

Star	α (2000)	δ (2000)	V	Sp. Class	Distance	Luminosity	Notes
Alioth	12h 54min 01.7s	+55° 57′ 35″	1,76	A0Vp	81	108
Dubhe	11 03 43,6	+61 45 03	1,79	K0IIIa	124	235	Triple. ΑΒ=0.7″ AC=378″
Benetnash	13 47 32,3	+49 18 48	1,86	B3V	101	146
Mizar	13 23 55,5	+54 55 31	2,27	A1Vp	86	71	6 star system including Alcor A and B
Merak	11 01 50,4	+56 22 56	2,37	A1V	78	55
Fekda	11 53 49,8	+53 41 41	2,44	A0Ve	84	59
ψ UMa	11 09 39,7	+44 29 54	3,01	K1III	147	108
μUMa	10 22 19,7	+41 29 58	3,05	M0III	249	296	sp. double?
ιUMa	08 59 12,4	+48 02 30	3,14	A7IV	48	10	sp. double and wholesale double
θ UMa	09 32 51,3	+51 40 38	3,18	F6IV	44	8

Other objects of Ursa Major

In addition to the Big Dipper, in the constellation Ursa Major you can also see an asterism called the Three Leaps of the Gazelle, which looks like three pairs of stars.

We are talking about the following pairs:

Alula North South (ν and ξ),
Taniya North and South (λ and μ),
Talitha North and South (ι and κ).

This is how we can characterize the constellation Ursa Major, known since ancient times. This cosmic region also includes many galaxies. For example, the Pinwheel galaxy. It is better known as M 101. It is larger in size than the Milky Way. Its detailed photographs were taken by the Hubble telescope at the beginning of the 21st century. To get to this huge cluster of stars, you need to spend 8 million light years.

The Owl Nebula is also of interest. It enters our galaxy and looks like two dark spots located nearby. In 1848, Lord Ross believed that these spots were similar to the eyes of an owl. This is where the name came from. This nebula is approximately 6 thousand years old, and it is located at a distance of 2300 light years from the Solar system.

But the most interesting thing is that the constellation Ursa Major is considered as one of the likely sources extraterrestrial intelligence. In this part of space there is a certain star called 47UMa. It is a yellow dwarf, and its planetary system is very similar to ours. solar system. At least, today there are 3 known planets orbiting this star. In 2003, a radio message was sent to him. Earthlings persistently search for brothers in mind, and luck always accompanies those who persist.

How to find the Big Dipper in the sky?

If you want to learn how to navigate the starry sky, then your primary task is to be able to find the Big Dipper bucket. Although it is located close to North Star, is still not so close to it as to be at one point in the sky all the time.

The Big Dipper is easiest to spot in the fall and winter. At this time, in the evenings, the asterism is located in the north, low above the horizon and in our usual position.

Towards the end of winter, the position of Ursa Major in the evening sky changes. The seven stars of the bucket shift to the east, and the Big Dipper itself stands vertically on the handle.

There is nothing surprising. Let us remember that every day all the stars describe circles around the celestial pole, thereby reflecting the rotation of the Earth around its axis. But over the course of a year, the stars make one more additional circle, thereby reflecting the movement of the Earth in its orbit around the Sun. The stars of Ursa Major are no exception - moving from the lowest point, the bucket seems to rear up.

In mid-spring, Ursa Major is at its zenith in the evenings, right above your head! At this time, it is in an inverted position in relation to the North Star. Its ladle faces west, and its handle faces east.

For those who live north of Moscow, the most difficult time to find the Big Dipper in the sky is in the summer, during the period of short nights. At this time, the constellation is in the west, and the bucket is tilted down and looking north.

How to find the North Star using Ursa Major?

Now let's see how to find the North Star using Ursa Major. This is done simply. Take the two outermost stars in the bucket, Dubha and Merak (alpha and beta Ursa Major), and mentally connect them with a line. And then extend this line five times the distance Merak - Dubhe.

You will see a star whose brilliance is approximately equal to the brilliance of the stars of the bucket. This is the famous Polar Star, the “iron nail,” as the Kazakhs called it, meaning the immobility of the Polar Star in the earth’s firmament.

Knowing the position of the North Star, you can easily navigate in space. Draw a plumb line from Polyarnaya down. The place where it intersects with the horizon will point north. The rest of the cardinal directions are easy to find: east will be on the right, south behind you, and west on the left. So, guided by the stars, in Russia in the Middle Ages they built the Moscow-Yaroslavl and Moscow-Vladimir roads, straight as an arrow.

Secrets of the constellation Ursa Major: how different peoples saw it

Egypt "Bull's Thigh"

The ancient Egyptians were among the first astronomers in history, with some of their round stone "observatories" dating back as far as the fifth millennium BC. It was the Egyptians who laid the foundations of the constellation system that was borrowed from them by the inhabitants of Mesopotamia, the Greeks, the Arabs, and then modern science. At that dizzyingly distant time, due to the precession of the earth's axis, it was not the North Star that pointed north, but Alpha Draconis (Thuban). Its surroundings, together with the nearest luminaries, were considered by the Egyptians to be the “fixed sky,” the habitat of the gods. Instead of a ladle, the priests could see the leg of Set, the god of war and death, who turned into a bull and killed Osiris with a blow of his hoof. Falcon-headed Horus cut off his limb in revenge for the murder of his father.

China "Emperor Shangdi's Cart"

Astronomers Ancient China divided the sky into 28 vertical sectors, “houses,” through which the Moon passes on its monthly journey, just as the Sun passes through the signs of the Zodiac in its annual rotation in Western astrology, which borrowed the 12-sector division from the Egyptians. In the center of the heavens, like an emperor in the capital of a state, the Chinese placed the North Star, which by that time had already taken its usual place. The seven brightest stars of the Big Dipper are located in honorable proximity to it, within the Purple Fence - one of the three Fences surrounding the palace of the “royal” star. They could be described as the Northern Dipper, whose orientation corresponds to the seasons, or as part of the carriage of the Shangdi Heavenly Emperor.

India "Seven Wise Men"

Observational astronomy in ancient india did not develop as brilliantly as, say, mathematics. Its ideas were greatly influenced by both Greece and China - for example, the 27-28 “stays” (nakshatras) through which the Moon passes in about a month are very reminiscent of the Chinese lunar “houses”. The Hindus also attached great importance The polar star, which, according to experts in the Vedas, is the abode of Vishnu himself. The Ladle asterism located underneath it was considered the Saptarishas - seven sages born from the mind of Brahma, the forefathers of the world of our era (Kali Yuga) and everyone living in it.

Greece "Bear"

Ursa Major is one of 48 constellations listed in Ptolemy's star catalog around 140 BC, although it was first mentioned much earlier, in Homer. The intricate Greek myths offer different backstories for its appearance, although everyone agrees that the bear is the beautiful Callisto, companion of the hunter goddess Artemis. According to one version, using his usual tricks with transformation, the loving Zeus seduced her, provoking the wrath of both his wife Hera and Artemis herself. Saving his mistress, the Thunderer turned her into a bear, who wandered in the mountain forests for many years until her own son, born of Zeus, met her while hunting. The Supreme God had to intervene once again. Preventing matricide, he ascended both to heaven.

America "Great Bear"

It seems that the Indians understood something about wild animals: in the Iroquois legend about the origin of the asterism, the “heavenly bear” does not have any tail. The three stars that form the handle of the ladle are three hunters pursuing the beast: Aliot draws a bow with an arrow embedded in it, Mizar carries a cauldron for cooking meat (Alcor), and Benetnash carries an armful of brushwood to light the fire. In the fall, when the Bucket turns and sinks low to the horizon, the blood from the wounded bear drips down, painting the trees in variegated colors.

The closest bright star in Ursa Major– star South Alula or xi Ursa Major. This is a beautiful double star that can be separated into its components in a telescope with a lens greater than 80mm. Both components are similar in their characteristics to the Sun and each of them also has a satellite - a cool red dwarf! The distance to ξ Ursa Major is 29 sv. years. A little further away is the star θ - 44 light years from the Sun. Well, the farthest of the bright stars in the constellation is the red giant μ Ursa Major, one of the stars in the front “paw” of the Ursa Major. The distance to it is 249 light years.
The constellation Ursa Major is featured on the Alaska flag. The flag of White Sea Karelia, which was approved on June 21, 1918, depicts the Big Dipper. Also, the flag with the image of the Big Dipper is used by Irish left-wing radical organizations.
You can admire the Big Dipper during the day. This can easily be done by finding it on one of the interactive maps constellations. On the maps you can find other large and small constellations and look at them at close range.
Need I say that the huge constellation Ursa Major is a real treasure trove for a true astronomy lover?! This part of the sky contains a huge number of attractions that can be observed with small telescopes: double and variable stars, several bright galaxies and dozens of fainter galaxies, scattered star cluster and even a planetary nebula. There is no way to fit descriptions of these objects into one article. Therefore, we decided to publish separate articles devoted to observations of the sights of the Big Dipper.

Ursa Major is a constellation that schoolchildren become familiar with in 2nd grade while taking the course “The World Around us.”

It is important for children to learn how to find a star “bucket” in the night sky, because the constellation is a reference point for finding many other celestial objects.

Description of the constellation Ursa Major

Ursa Major (Ursa Major) is a constellation of the northern hemisphere, located in 3rd place in size. The common name for the celestial object is the Big Dipper, as the seven main stars form a shape similar to a ladle with a long handle.

In Eastern Europe and throughout Russia, the object is observed throughout the year(the exception is autumn in the southern regions of Russia, when the constellation is too low above the horizon). Best visibility is in early spring.

The Big Dipper has been known to mankind since ancient times and is significant in many cultures. The constellation is mentioned in the Bible and Homer's story "The Odyssey", its description is in the works of Ptolemy.

Ancient peoples associated the star figure with a camel, plow, boat, sickle, and basket. In Germany, the constellation is called the Great Basket, in China - the Imperial Chariot, in the Netherlands - the Pan, in Arab countries - the Tomb of the Mourners.

How many stars are in the constellation Ursa Major? There are seven in total, and they're all in different countries have interesting names. Residents of Mongolia call them the Seven Gods, the Hindus call them the Seven Sages.

In the American Indian imagination, the three stars that form the “bucket handle” represent three hunters chasing a bear. Alpha and beta constellations are also called “pointers”, because with the help of these stars it is not difficult to find the North Star.

Ursa Major Bucket in autumn, winter, spring, summer

IN different times year, the position of the “ursa” is not the same relative to the horizon. For better orientation, you should use a compass.

On a clear spring night, a cluster of stars is directly above the observer. From mid-April, the “bucket” begins to move west. Throughout the summer, the constellation gradually moves to the northwest and descends. In the last days of August, stars can be seen in the north, as low as possible above the horizon.

On autumn sky It is noticeable how the constellation slowly rises; during the winter months, as can be seen in the diagram below, moving to the northeast, it rises again in the spring as high as possible above the horizon.

To quickly find the constellation, you should remember that in summer it is in the northwest, in autumn - in the north, in winter - in the northeast, in spring - directly above the observer.

Depending on the time of day, the position of the star figure changes relative not only to the vault of heaven, but also to its own axis. The image below shows that in the evening in January-February the bucket is in the northeast (in the picture on the right) and its handle is pointing downwards.

During the night, the constellation passes through a semicircle, by morning it reaches the northwest (in the picture on the left), and the “handle” rushes upward.

In July-August the daily changes are opposite. The same contrast is observed in the spring and autumn months.

The position of the constellation in the sky is characterized by daily changes specific to each season of the year.

Stars of Ursa Major

Answering the question how many stars are in Ursa Major, the 7 most noticeable points are indicated. This seven forms the same “bucket” that is clearly visible in the night sky.

But in reality the constellation is more extensive and consists of a larger number of points. Stars of lesser brightness form the paws and face of the “bear”.

The seven main stars that are included in the constellation include:

Dubhe(“bear”) is the alpha constellation, the second most intense glow. One of two signs to the North Pole. A red giant located 125 light years from Earth.
Merak(translated as “loin”) is a beta star, the second pointer to the North Pole. The object is approximately 80 light years away from Earth, slightly larger in size than the Sun, and emits a powerful stream of infrared radiation.
Fekda(“hip”) is Gamma, a dwarf star located at a distance of just under 85 light years from our planet.
Megrets(from Arabic "base") - delta, a blue dwarf, more than 80 light years from Earth. The object was so named because it is the base of the long tail of the “heavenly beast”.
Alioth(“tail”) - epsilon, the brightest point of the constellation, is in 31st place in terms of luminosity of objects visible in the sky (magnitude 1.8). White Star, luminosity 108 times higher than that of the Sun. One of 57 celestial objects used in navigation.
Mizar(from Arabic “belt”) is a zeta star, the fourth brightest in the “bucket”. The star is double, there is a less bright satellite - Alcor.
Alkaid(“leader”) or Benetnash (“crying”) - this star is the third in luminosity, the end of the “bear's tail”. Blue dwarf, distance – 100 light years from our planet.

The total number of objects in the constellation is about 125.

Of these, three pairs of stars located on the same line, located at a short distance from each other, should be noted:

Alula Borealis (nu constellations) and Alula Australis (xi);
Tania Borealis (lambda) and Tania Australis (mu);
Talitha Borealis (iota) and Talitha Australis (kappa).

These three pairs are also called the three gazelle leaps, and in the map below they are located at the bottom of the star cluster.

The figure shows the location of the main seven stars and objects of the Talitha, Taniya and Alula groups.

The Legend of Ursa Major

There is an ancient Greek myth from which one can understand why the constellation Ursa Major is called that way.

Callisto, the heir of King Lycaon, was one of the most beautiful nymphs who served Artemis. Zeus turned his gaze to the beauty. He took the form of Artemis and seduced the girl. The goddess became angry when she noticed in the bath that her beloved nymph was pregnant and drove her away. Unhappy Callisto went to the mountains, where she gave birth to her son Arkas.

But the nymph’s misadventures did not stop there. Hera, the wife of the seducing god, learned about Arcas, the illegitimate son of Zeus, and in revenge turned her rival into a bear. As an adult, Arkas took up hunting. One day in the mountains he encountered a bear, but he could not even think that this was his own mother. The young man wanted to shoot an arrow at the beast, but Zeus stopped him.

The main god did not allow his son to commit a terrible act, but could not break the curse given to the Hero. Taking pity on the unfortunate Callisto, Zeus turned her and her son into stars and sent them to heaven. So the Big Dipper appeared in the sky, and next to her son, the Little Dipper.

How to find Ursa Major in the sky

In the temperate zone of Russia, the “Ursa Bear” is one of the non-setting constellations, as it is located near North Pole. Finding a “bucket” in the sky in the evening and at night is not difficult. You only need to see a star cluster once to remember what it looks like.

In the photo below you can see what a “bucket” might look like in the night sky.

For those living at the latitude of Moscow, the best time to observe the star cluster is on an April night. In the time interval between 23 and 24 hours, the “bucket” will be at its zenith. The observer will only have to build the figure by points.

If it’s not April outside, then you should look for the “ursa” in other areas of the sky:

January-February - northeast, angle above the horizon 30 - 70°, the figure is located vertically;
March – east, angle 50 – 80°, the figure is almost vertical;
May – west, 60 – 90°, the “bucket” is inclined downwards by 60 – 80°;
June-July - northwest, elevation above the horizon 40 - 70°, downward inclination of the figure 20 - 60°;
August-September – northwest (closer to the north), 20 – 50°, the figure is parallel to the horizon;
October – north, angle 20 – 30°, “bucket” tilted upward by 10 – 30°;
November-December - northeast (closer to the north), 20 - 40°, the figure is inclined upward by 30 - 80°.

After getting acquainted with Ursa Major, the possibilities for exploring the starry sky expand significantly. The North Star is the first thing you can find if you know the location of the large “bucket”. And Polaris (the alpha star of Ursa Minor) is the main celestial landmark in the cardinal directions.

Try asking random passers-by on the street for the names of some constellations. Of those who agree to answer, some will name the constellations of the zodiac (astrology has always been in fashion), some may remember the constellations Orion or Cassiopeia, but the majority will probably be among the first to name either the Big Dipper or the Big Dipper. However, Big Dipper- this is not a constellation as such, but simply a characteristic one, which is part of the same constellation Ursa Major.

What is it about this constellation that everyone knows about it? First, of course, the seven brightest stars of the Big Dipper - they are combined into a celestial bucket, the appearance of which is familiar to many from childhood. Secondly, Ursa Major is extremely well located in our sky, because it never - neither in spring, nor in summer, nor in autumn, nor in winter - goes beyond the horizon! Such constellations are called.

The Big Dipper and the Little Dipper are the most recognizable drawings of the Ursa constellations. In this image, the brightness of the stars was artificially enhanced so that they could be easily distinguished against the background of the evening sky. Note that at mid and northern latitudes the Big Dipper does not go beyond the horizon, being at its lowest point close to the horizon in the north. Photo: Jerry Lodriguss/APOD

With many other constellations the situation is much worse. For example, Orion constellation, the brightest and beautiful constellation all over the sky. But for at least three months a year - from May to July - it spends the dark time of the day below the horizon, and therefore is not visible (in southern countries things are even worse with him). As a result, it turns out that Ursa Major is a much more useful constellation for us, residents of the northern country, although it looks more modest.

What is the benefit of it? Turns out, With the help of the Big Dipper you can easily learn to navigate among the stars.

To a person far from astronomy, the sky usually appears as a chaotic jumble of luminaries. There seems to be no way to figure it out. This is where the Ursa Major bucket comes to the rescue, which is visible at any time of the year, even in the evening, even at night, even in the morning, and with the help of which you can quite quickly find all the main constellations and stars visible in the sky at a given period. If Ursa Major, like Orion, spent part of its time below the horizon, its value as a celestial landmark would be much lower.

With the help of the Big Dipper, you can relatively easily deal with the seeming chaos in the arrangement heavenly bodies. Drawing: G. Ray. Stars

The Big Dipper was even more important for our distant ancestors. After all, they had no watch, no compass, no accurate maps, much less GPS navigation. How was it possible for sailors and nomads, travelers and caravan drivers to navigate the terrain? Only by the stars! And here the Big Dipper played a truly unique role: with its help, people determined not only the direction of the journey, but also the time.

The history of the Big Dipper is lost in the centuries. It was included in the classic list of 48 constellations of Claudius Ptolemy, collected by him in the book Almagest, this encyclopedia of ancient astronomy, almost two thousand years ago. But even then the constellation was considered ancient! Anyway, Homer mentioned Ursa Major 800 years before Ptolemy. Here's how great poet described Odysseus's return home:

Sleep did not come to him
He did not take his eyes off the Pleiades, from the descending late
In the Sea of Vooth, from the Ursa, in people there are still Chariots
The name of the one who bears and near Orion accomplishes forever
Your circle, never bathing yourself in the waters of the ocean

There is no doubt that in the times of Homer and Hesiod the constellation Ursa was well known, and the ancient Greeks understood it as the seven bright stars of the dipper (now Ursa Major occupies a much larger area in the sky). Please note that Homer simply calls the constellation Ursa. Big it became 200 years after the writing of the Iliad, when another Greek, philosopher and mathematician Thales, created the constellation Ursa Minor, probably borrowing it from the Phoenicians.

It is no wonder that such an important constellation over the millennia of its existence has acquired a whole heap of legends and myths, dozens of names (after all, many peoples often called it in their own way). It’s not easy to understand them, just as it’s not easy to understand where the name Ursa Major came from in the first place.

Why is Ursa Major called this?

One of the first questions that children ask when they see 7 bucket stars in the sky is this: “Why is Ursa Major called that?” Indeed, why Ursa Major is called a ladle is understandable - because its brightest stars form a ladle in the sky! Why was the ladle called the Ursa? In Yuri Karpenko’s small but very fascinating book “Names of the Starry Sky” there is even a humorous poem about this:

Two bears laugh:
- These stars have fooled you!
They are called by our name,
And they look like saucepans!

Indeed, the question of the origin of the name Ursa Major can confuse many, if we assume that the names of the constellations must necessarily correspond to their design: what do a dipper and a bear have in common?

Aristotle believed that nothing. According to this great philosopher, the constellation was named so not because of its external resemblance to a bear, but because of its positions in the sky. Aristotle knew that Ursa Major was close to the north celestial pole (or, as astronomers say, to). And who else in the world can survive in the icy polar latitudes if not a bear?!

We need to clarify something here. The Big Dipper was always closely associated with the north among ancient Europeans, if only because the constellation did not fall below the horizon (unlike most stars, the Moon and the Sun), but floated at its lowest point above the northern horizon, as if indicating the direction to the north. Another remarkable fact was noticed: when travelers and sailors moved in a northerly direction, the celestial pole rose in the sky, and the nearby Ursa Major rose with it! According to the ancient Greeks, in the far north, the Big Dipper should have always been high overhead, dominating the night sky. And here the Greeks were absolutely right, although they had never been beyond the Arctic Circle.

Let us add that 2000 years ago Ursa Major was closer to the celestial pole than it is now. The fact is that the pole slowly moves across the sky from one group of stars to another due to precession. Nowadays, it is located near the celestial pole, so close that it is almost completely motionless. Day and night, summer and winter, the North Star is always in the same place in the sky, and all the other stars circle around it. This makes the North Star a unique object for navigation!

Be that as it may, the idea of the connection of the constellation with cold and the north was so strong and widespread among the ancients that it even penetrated into our everyday language: today we, without knowing it, call the extreme north... a bear! (Bear in Greek - Arktos , and the word “arctic” is literally translated as “under the constellation Ursa Major.”)

The Legend of Ursa Major

Another explanation for the name of the constellation is given to us by classical myths and legends. The most famous legend is this:

Callisto, daughter of the Greek king Lycaon, was a nymph in the retinue of the goddess Artemis. The girl was so beautiful that Zeus himself noticed her. One day, Zeus managed to approach the maiden, taking on the guise of Artemis in order to remain unnoticed. The consequences of this were soon noticed by the goddess when she saw Callisto while bathing. Artemis expelled the girl from her retinue, and poor Callisto gave birth to a son, Arcas, wandering through the mountains.

But, as it turned out, the girl’s misfortunes did not end there. Hera, the wife of Zeus, having learned about the birth of Arkas, turned Callisto into a bear - as punishment for the fact that she became the reason for her husband’s next betrayal. Time has passed. Arkas grew up and became a wonderful young man. He was an avid hunter; One day, while in the forest, he met a bear. Not suspecting that his own mother was in front of him, he instantly took out an arrow, pulled the bowstring and was about to hit his prey, when suddenly the hand of Zeus stopped him. Supreme God could not allow the crime, but also could not cancel the will of another god and return the bear to her former appearance. Deciding that poor Callisto had had enough suffering, Zeus turned Arkas into a bear, and then, making mother and son immortal, he transferred them to heaven. This is how the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor appeared.

However, the name of our constellation did not come from this beautiful legend, for neither the Akkadian astronomers of Mesopotamia nor the inhabitants of India knew about any Zeus, but, nevertheless, the drawing of the Big Dipper was also called the Bear! Moreover, the idea of a celestial bear also existed overseas, among the Indian tribes of North America! How could they know what the Europeans called the stars of the bucket?!

As is known, the American continent began to be settled approximately 25,000 years ago, when, during ice age people came to it from Asia through the Bering Strait. Therefore, it can be assumed that The origin of the constellation goes back centuries, when civilization did not yet exist! The book “Names of the Starry Sky” that we have already mentioned outlines an interesting, although controversial, version of how the Big Dipper arose.

It turns out that if you look at what Ursa Major looked like in really distant past (more than 100 thousand years ago!), then instead of a ladle we will see something that really looks like a figurine of some kind of animal. According to Karpenko, the design of the bear was created by six stars of the ladle, and the seventh star, Benetnash, was to the side, as if attracting the gaze of the beast, which raised its muzzle.

What the Big Dipper looked like 100,000 years ago. Keep in mind that the location of the Ursa stars in this picture is mirror-inverted, just like in ancient atlases! Source: Yu. A. Karpenko. Names of the starry sky

“If the above assumption is correct,” writes Karpenko, “then it means that 100 thousand years ago people were already talking and their language already had the name bear.”

Other names for Ursa Major

However, Ursa Major has always had alternative names. For example, the Germanic tribes who lived north of both the Greeks and Romans in forests full of wild animals, oddly enough, did not know the constellation Ursa at all. They called the seven stars of the bucket "Woz" (wagen in German). So Aratus, a Greek poet who lived in the 3rd century BC, wrote:

Two Ursa Bears, called Voz,
revolve around a pole
each in its place.

Chariot, cart, cart - these names of the constellation, associated to a greater extent, of course, with the ladle, were common throughout the territory of modern Europe. Scandinavians and Germans, Slavs and Angles - everyone saw the same thing in the sky. In Ancient Rus', the Big Dipper had the following names: Pan, Cart, Ladle; The people who lived on the territory of modern Ukraine called it a cart. In Siberia, the constellation was called Elk. The Italians living to the south popularly call the Big Dipper the Cart, and the Portuguese write this word as Carreta...

IN Ancient Egypt The constellation Ursa Major was called the Thigh of the Bull - as it is depicted in the Temple of Edfu. And even earlier it may have been called Hippopotamus.

In China, the Big Dipper was simply called the Seven Stars (Zei Xing). But here the Chinese indicated their penchant for order and hierarchy, which they saw in the perfect heavens, by giving these stars an alternative name - Government.

Let's make a small digression and explain one important detail. Traditionally, in scientific literature, the names of constellations are almost always given in Latin. Ursa Major in Latin - Ursa Major, abbreviated UMa. IN English language constellations are also written in Latin, although they have retained their “folk” names (Ursa Major in English - The Great Bear). Therefore, do not be surprised if you come across, for example, the following star name: ζ UMa. Here we mean only ζ (zeta) of Ursa Major or the star Mizar.

How to find the Big Dipper in the sky?

If you want to learn how to navigate the starry sky, then your primary task is to be able to find the Big Dipper bucket. Although it is not far from the North Star, it is still not so close to it as to be at one point in the sky all the time.

The Big Dipper is easiest to spot in the fall and winter. At this time, in the evenings, the asterism is located in the north, low above the horizon and in our usual position.

On autumn evenings, the Big Dipper is in the northern sky. Drawing: Stellarium

Towards the end of winter, the position of Ursa Major in the evening sky changes. The seven stars of the bucket shift to the east, and the Big Dipper itself stands vertically on the handle.

Constellation Ursa Major in winter. Drawing: Stellarium

In spring, the Big Dipper and its main design, the scoop, are in an inverted position at the zenith. Drawing: Stellarium

During summer evenings, the Big Dipper can be found in the southwest; its bucket is inclined towards the horizon. Drawing: Stellarium

How to find the North Star using Ursa Major?

How to find the Little Dipper in the Big Spring. The Merak - Dubhe line points to the North Star. And the other two bright stars of Ursa Minor, Kohab and Ferkad, are located above the handle of the Big Dipper. Drawing: Stellarium

Ursa Major on the map

Nowadays, Ursa Major is not limited to the seven-star bucket and occupies a much larger area in the sky than in the time of Homer. You will be surprised, but a huge section of the sky directly below the bucket and to the right of it - it all belongs to this constellation. In terms of area, Ursa Major is in third place among all 88 constellations of the sky, second only slightly to the constellations Hydra and Virgo.

Ursa Major on a star map. Source: IAU

How many stars are in the constellation Ursa Major?

Ursa Major consists of 125 stars visible to the naked eye. True, most of them shine rather weakly: to see them all, you will have to get far outside the city - into the mountains or into the village. In the ordinary city sky, in addition to the stars of the bucket, you can find about a dozen more stars belonging to Ursa Major.

How to find these stars? Look closely at the Big Dipper. To the right of it you will see two more stars located almost parallel to the stars Dubhe and Merak. These are the stars 23 and upsilon (υ) of Ursa Major. Even further away is the omicron (ο) star of Ursa Major.

To the right and below the bucket is visible a sharp triangle made up of the stars theta (θ), kappa (κ) and iota (ι) of Ursa Major, and under the bucket is another triangle, very similar to the previous one. It is formed by the stars lambda (λ), mu (μ) and psi (ψ) of Ursa Major.

Finally, two more stars, nu (ν) and xi (ξ) Ursa Major are located one below the other in the very south of the constellation.

The main stars in the constellation Ursa Major. Drawing: Big Universe

Now take in the whole picture. Imagine that the handle of the bucket is the long tail of the bear, the bucket and the stars 23 and υ of the Big Dipper are the body of the animal, the two triangles under the bucket are the front and hind legs, and the stars in the area of the star ο make up the head of the beast. Isn’t it true that now we have a real heavenly bear in front of us?

This is exactly how the Big Dipper was depicted on old maps starry sky. This is exactly how, by the way, Arat, already mentioned by us, described the Ursa almost 2.5 thousand years ago! Aratus, as far as we know, borrowed descriptions of the constellations from the Greek astronomer Eudoxus, and he, in turn, from the Chaldean and Akkadian astronomers. Here is another proof that the celestial figure of a giant bear (not limited to a ladle, like Homer) was known to people long before the voyage of Odysseus!

An image of the constellation Ursa Major in Alexander Jameson's 1822 atlas. Source: peoplesguidetothecosmos.com

In general, the picture of the celestial Ursa, wandering through the sky around the North Star year after year, gives rise to one funny question: where could a bear get a long tail?! The English poet and humorist Thomas Hood explained this by revisiting the classic myth:

“Scientist: I wonder why her tail is so long.

Master: Imagine that Jupiter (the Latin name of Zeus), fearing to get into her teeth, grabbed her by the tail and dragged her into the sky; since it was very heavy, and the distance from the ground to the sky was very large, there was a high probability that its tail was greatly extended. I don’t know any other reasons.”

Stars of Ursa Major

What star is in Ursa Major the brightest? A question that is quite difficult to answer! It is clear that the stars of the bucket are brighter than other stars in the constellation, and, therefore, you need to choose from them. But of the seven stars of the Big Dipper, only one clearly stands out - the one located in its very center, and even then, not as the brightest, but as the dimmest star!

When astronomers introduced the letter designation of stars, they decided to follow the rule: the Greek letter alpha denotes the brightest star in the constellation, the letter beta the second brightest, and so on, up to the letter omega. Sometimes it was easy to arrange the stars in this way, but sometimes, as in the case of Ursa Major, it was very difficult. When Uranometry (the first truly accurate atlas of the starry sky) was published in Augsburg in 1603, the compiler of the book, astronomer Johann Bayer, acted radically in relation to the Big Dipper: he simply designated the stars of the bucket from right to left in a row - the uppermost star in the bucket received the letter α, and the outermost star in the handle is the letter η.

In reality, the alpha of Ursa Major is only second best, quite slightly inferior to the star ε. In third place is the outermost star in the handle of the bucket, Benetnash, followed by the rest.

We present the coordinates, as well as some physical characteristics of the ten brightest stars of the Big Dipper in the table below. The luminosity of stars is expressed in solar units, the distance is given in light years.

The brightest stars of Ursa Major

Star	α (2000)	δ (2000)	V	Sp. Class	Distance	Luminosity	Notes
Alioth	12h 54min 01.7s	+55° 57" 35"	1,76	A0Vp	81	108
Dubhe	11 03 43,6	+61 45 03	1,79	K0IIIa	124	235	Triple. ΑΒ=0.7" AC=378"
Benetnash	13 47 32,3	+49 18 48	1,86	B3V	101	146
Mizar	13 23 55,5	+54 55 31	2,27	A1Vp	86	71	6 star system including Alcor A and B
Merak	11 01 50,4	+56 22 56	2,37	A1V	78	55
Fekda	11 53 49,8	+53 41 41	2,44	A0Ve	84	59
ψ UMa	11 09 39,7	+44 29 54	3,01	K1III	147	108
μUMa	10 22 19,7	+41 29 58	3,05	M0III	249	296	sp. double?
ιUMa	08 59 12,4	+48 02 30	3,14	A7IV	48	10	sp. double and wholesale double
θ UMa	09 32 51,3	+51 40 38	3,18	F6IV	44	8

Names of the stars of Ursa Major

All the stars of the Big Dipper have their own names.

α Ursa Major is called Dubhe or Dubge; her name comes from the Arabic expression "Thahr al Dubb al Akbar" (Back of the Big Dipper).
The star β is called Merak. This name is also of Arabic origin and translated means Loin.
γ Ursa Major is named Fekda or Fegda (it is also sometimes called as Faed). This name comes from Arabic Al Falidh(Thigh), since the star in the minds of astronomers was located on the thigh of the animal.
Megrets- the name of the dimmest star in the bucket, δ Ursa Major; in Arabic Al-Maghrets means the Base of the Tail.
Epsilon Ursa Major, the brightest star in the constellation, is called Alioth. The origin of this name is not entirely clear, but most researchers believe that this name is due to the Arabic word Alyat(sheep tail).
Finally, the last two stars on the handle of the bucket are called and Benetnash. Mizar means "belt" in Arabic, and Benetnash (another name for the star is Alkaid) comes from the expression "Qaid Banat al Naash" (Lord of the Mourners).

What strange names! Just listen to them: Dubhe, Merak, Fekda, Megrets, Aliot, Mizar, Benetnash... All of them, as we have already seen, were invented in the East; they were given to the stars more than a thousand years ago during the heyday of the Islamic world, at a time when Western Europe was under the rule of the Dark Ages. It was thanks to Arab astronomers that the works of Aristotle, Ptolemy and other ancient philosophers and scientists were preserved and reached our days...

But let's get back to the star names. Other stars of Ursa Major also did not remain nameless. In fact, all more or less bright stars in this constellation have names. Thus, the omicron star, denoting the face of the Ursa, is called Muscida(or Fly, as according to Bayer, it was called “barbarians”). The stars ξ and ν Ursa Major are referred to as Southern and Northern Alula ( Alula Australis And Alula borealis). Their names come from the Arabic word Al Ula(Bounce). Indeed, in atlases these stars often denoted one of the hind legs of the Big Dipper, on which she leaned, preparing to jump.

Of course, everyone knows the star Alcor. This faint star is visible near Mizar, a star on the bend of the handle of the ladle. The distance between the stars in the sky is only half the apparent diameter of the Moon. In the old days, nomadic Arabs used it to check their visual acuity; the star Mizar in Europe was often called the Horse, and Alcor - the Horseman. Take a look at this couple on a clear evening. Can you see Alcor?

Distance to the stars of Ursa Major

The figure of the Big Dipper is so expressive that to many it seems no coincidence. Indeed, as studies have shown, five of the seven stars of the bucket move in space with the same speeds and in the general direction - Merak, Fegda, Megrets, Aliot and Mizar (together with Alcor). Undoubtedly, these stars are related to each other by a common origin: they were all born at approximately the same time - 500 million years ago - from one huge cloud of interstellar gas.

Changes in the pattern of the Big Dipper over time. In the first image we see a drawing similar to the drawing from the book by Yu. A. Karpenko. True, the stars here are not inverted and are connected differently by imaginary lines.