Information about Ursa Minor. Ursa Minor subpolar constellation

Ursa Minor- a small constellation of the Northern Hemisphere, containing 25 visible stars. The seven largest of them form a scoop pattern in the sky, the handle of which is completed by the North Star. Ursa Minor does not go beyond the horizon, so the small dipper, using some landmarks, can be seen at night even with the naked eye.

How to find Ursa Minor - choosing the right environment

To make stargazing successful, remember these tips:

• look for the stars on a clear night so that there are no clouds or stratus clouds in the sky;
• go out of town where there are no burning street lamps and luminous windows of houses, but there is a huge dark sky on which you can easily find the Little Dipper;
• When starting your observation, stand so that tall trees or buildings do not block your horizon. The best option is when there are no obstacles at all, that is, the horizon is clear.

How to find Ursa Minor by the North Star

This famous star is not the brightest in the sky, so it is better to look for it by Ursa Major, the outline of which looks like a giant ladle. The constellation is visible in the sky at night in good weather - in autumn and winter it hangs in the northern part of the sky, in spring it stands in the east in a vertical position - with its handle down, in summer - in the west, with its handle up.

• Using our recommendations, find in the sky Ursa Major. Mentally connect all the stars with a line - you get a bucket with a handle.
• Pay attention to the bowl consisting of 4 stars. The outermost of them are indicator stars - Dubhe and Merak, which determine the location of the North Star.
• Connect Merak and Dubhe with an imaginary beam. Extend it up and a little to the right, to a distance five times greater than the segment between these stars. At the end of the line you will see the North Star - the end point of the handle of the small dipper.

If even after such research you cannot fully imagine the Little Dipper, use the following hint.

How to find Ursa Minor - additional landmark

Have you found the North Star, but the small dipper does not appear? In this case, the giant stars of the frontal rim of the Ursa Minor bowl - Kohab and Ferkad - will help.

• Turn your gaze to the left side of the Polar Star and notice a light circle in an orange halo - this is Kohab, above it, forming the upper corner of the scoop - Ferkad. These stars circle the North Star and are called the Guardians of the Pole.
• Take a closer look and you will see 2 more stars making up the inner corners of the bowl. Connect them with lines and in front of you is a ladle without a handle.
• Look for two dimly glowing star points between the bowl and the North Star. Close the remaining gaps with straight sections and a small ladle with a handle will come out, facing in the opposite direction from the handle of the Big Dipper.

Although Ursa Minor can be found at any time, it is best seen in the winter sky before sunrise or in the first hour of spring sunset.

If time permits, go to nature to take a break from the bustle of the city, admire the starry scattering of the night sky, and think about distant unknown worlds, the light from which does not reach our planet.

I live in a city and it’s not so easy to see the constellations. But WithUrsa Minor constellation visible even from the outskirts of St. Petersburg, so I think that on a clear day anyone can see them. I know two ways to find Ursa Minor.

How to find Ursa Minor

I don’t know how it is according to science, I have my own ways:

1. traditional;
2. modern, using gadgets.

Let's tell you in order.

The traditional way: how I look for the Little Dipper

This method allows find not only the Little Dipper, but also the Big Dipper. You can’t do this without drawing and help.

1. You need to remember well what do these constellations look like. Try to remember how stars are located. You can take the drawing with you, it will be easier look for the stars in the sky.
2. First of all look for the Big Dipper in the sky. The stars of this constellation are bright, it is not difficult to find it by comparing it with the picture. Found it?
3. Look just above Ursa Major North Star. It is bright and in line with the two stars of the Ursa Major bucket.
4. The polar star is the outermost star in "handle of the dipper" of Ursa Minor. Find the remaining points of the constellation based on the picture.
5. Remember that the “bucket handles” Ursa Minor and Ursa Major always pointing in different directions.

Now that you found constellations, based on the drawing, try to find them again, this time on your own. By training in this way, you will learn identify these constellations without outside help.

How to look for Ursa Minor: the “advanced” method

It turns out there are smartphone applications and tablets that allow look for Ursa Minor and other objects in the night sky.

How to find what you need using the application:

• Loading application.
• Be sure to add information about your location.
• Point it camera to the part of the sky in which you want to find a star or constellation.
• The app shows you what are the names of the stars and outlines the constellations that fall within the camera's field of view.

I myself prefer the second method. I don't rely much on my eyes and memory, and if find Ursa Minor and I can still do the Big one, then with the other constellations everything is much more complicated. And the application is perfectly oriented even in poor visibility.

In addition, you can learn many new star names.

One of the most famous constellations is Ursa Minor. It is small in size and does not contain bright stars. Where is Ursa Minor located and is it important? This cluster of stars is located near the north pole. For many centuries it played an important role in astronomy, navigation and more.

Origin of the constellation

The constellation is one of the oldest star clusters, making it difficult to determine its exact origin. In ancient writings, Homer mentions Ursa Major, but information about Ursa Minor was recorded later, around the seventh century BC. In his writings, Strabo wrote that in the era of Homer, most likely, there was no Ursa Minor, since this group of stars was not yet known until the Phoenicians began to use them for navigation.

Astronomers suggest that previously people did not know where Ursa Minor was located and had no idea about its existence. It was placed in a separate constellation only because of its close location to the north pole. Ursa Minor is the easiest way to navigate. It was introduced into astronomy around the year six hundred BC by F. Miletus.

Myths and legends

There are legends and myths about the constellation. The first myth says that Rhea’s own mother hid the baby from father Kronos, who, because of a prophecy, killed all his children. When Zeus was born, his mother placed a stone in his place, thus deceiving Kronos. She hid the baby in a cave, where he was nursed by two she-bears, Helis and Melissa, who were later taken to heaven. And when Zeus grew up, he overthrew his father and freed his brothers and sisters. They all became Olympian gods.

Another legend speaks of Callisto, daughter of Lycaon, ruler of Arkadi. The legend says that the queen had an unusual beauty that delighted Zeus. He took the guise of the huntress goddess Artemis, whom Callisto served. Zeus penetrated the girl, and her son Arkan was born. Zeus' wife Hera found out about this and turned Callisto into a bear. Years later, Arkan grew up. One day, while going hunting, he saw and walked along it, suspecting nothing. I wanted to kill the beast. But Zeus did not allow this to happen and turned his son also into a bear: he transferred Callisto and Arkan to heaven. This act angered Hera. She met with Poseidon and asked not to let her husband’s mistress and her child into her kingdom. Because of this, Ursa Minor and Ursa Major never go beyond the horizon.

Constellation location

Where is Ursa Minor and how to find it? Before you try to find a constellation in the sky, you should know what it looks like. The main part of the constellation is the ladle. It is not as visible in the sky as the Big Dipper.

To find all the stars in a constellation, you must first find Ursa Major. An imaginary vertical line with a slight bend is drawn through the outer stars of the bucket. Then it is extended upward by five similar segments. The line will lead to the North Star. It is bright and is the end of the handle of the Little Dipper. What's next? Where is Ursa Minor and where to go from the North Star? Then from the North Star you need to move towards the Big Dipper, which is where the bucket itself is located. Unlike the Big Dipper, the handle of the Little Dipper is curved in reverse side. Now it has become clear where Ursa Minor is located in relation to the Big Dipper.

The main thing is not to confuse

This constellation, like the Bolshoi constellation, has seven stars, but they are not so bright. Three objects are the brightest, while the other four are not always visible in the night sky. Because of this feature, many who like to look through a telescope often incorrectly identify the bucket. They manage to mistake the Pleiades dipper for Ursa Minor. Knowing where Ursa Minor is, and if you find it at least once, it is unlikely that you will ever lose sight of it.

The brightest stars of the bucket

To find out where Ursa Minor is located, you need to learn to identify the North Star. How to find it is discussed above.

The Small Bucket is formed by the following stars:

• Beta or Kohab;
• Gamma or Ferkad;
• Yildun;
• Polar.

There are other stars that form the scoop and handle.

The North Star will tell you where the constellation Ursa Minor is located. This is the brightest star, comparable in brilliance to the objects of the Big Dipper. By the way, in the list of the brightest stars it ranks only 48th, and it is not the brightest, as people far from astronomy believe. The North Star can be called a nail, which is motionless in the night sky, and around which all other stars move.

The next star is Kohab or Beta. It is similar in brilliance to Polar. Kohab glows with an orange glow. This star is cooler than our Sun, and is forty times larger in size.

Ferkab is another giant among the stars. It is hotter than Kohab and Polar Star, but is several times inferior in brilliance.

All stars of the constellation

Ferkab, Kohab and Polaris are the brightest stars of Ursa Minor, which are always visible. There are forty-seven objects in the constellation, but only seven can be seen with the naked eye, and only in good weather. Usually only three stars are visible.

Seven stars create a scoop and handle, using them you can quickly and easily determine where Ursa Minor is located in the sky. The remaining forty stars are not taken into account by amateurs. However, if all these stars are connected with lines, you get a schematic image of a bear, although some argue that it looks more like a dog. For your information, the ancient Greeks called the North Star Cynosura, which translated means the tail of a dog. Maybe they also schematically connected the stars into constellations and saw a cute dog in the drawing? The answer to this question will remain a mystery for astronomers and scientists around the world.

There are quite a few different constellations. Some of them are known to everyone. Only a small part of people know about others. But there is a cluster of night luminaries that is completely understandable to everyone. This article will look at how Ursa Major and Ursa Minor are located. Constellations are characterized by a huge number of legends. And some of them will also be told. We should also talk about the most recognizable and brightest luminaries that can be seen in this rather popular cluster.

Starry sky, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Andromeda, Southern Cross... What could be more beautiful and majestic? Millions of stars shine and sparkle, luring inquisitive minds. Man has always found his place in the Universe, wondering how the world works, where his place is in it, whether he was created by the gods or whether he himself is a divine essence. Sitting by the fire at night and looking into the distant sky, people learned one simple truth - the stars are not scattered unattractively across the sky. They have their legal place.

Every night the stars remained the same, in the same place. Today, any adult knows that the stars are located at different distances from the earth. But, looking at the sky, we cannot say which luminaries are located further and which are closer. Our ancestors could distinguish them only by the brightness of their glow. They singled out a small fraction of the brightest luminaries, formed a group of stars into characteristic figures, calling them constellations. In modern astrology, 88 constellations are distinguished in the starry sky. Our ancestors knew no more than 50.

The constellations were called differently, associating them with the names of objects (Libra, Southern Cross, Triangle). The luminaries were given the names of heroes of Greek myths (Andromeda, Perseus Cassiopeia), the Stars bore the names of real or non-existent animals (Lion, Dragon, Ursa Major and Ursa Minor). In ancient times, people fully demonstrated their imagination, approaching the issue of naming celestial bodies thoroughly. And there is nothing strange in the fact that the names have not changed to this day.

Stars in the Bucket Cluster

The constellation Ursa Major and Ursa Minor in the starry sky are rightfully considered the most famous and recognizable of the cluster of stars in the northern hemisphere. As we know from our youth, the stars of Ursa Major form a bucket in the sky - luminaries of a recognizable shape and with an established name. This cluster of nocturnal and celestial bodies rightfully ranks third in size. In the first positions are constellations such as Virgo and Hydra. There are 125 stars in Ursa Major. All of them can be distinguished with the naked eye. The bucket forms seven brightest stars. Each of them has its own name.

Let's turn our attention to the constellation Ursa Major. It is no longer possible to imagine the world of space without it. Among the stars in this cluster are:

Dubhe means “bear”. This is the brightest star in Ursa Major. Merak is the 2nd brightest star. It is translated as “lower back”. Fekda - translated means “thigh”. Megrets - translated as “beginning of the tail.” Aliot means “fat tail”. Mizar - translated as “loincloth”. Benetnash - literally translated as “leader of the mourners.”

This is only a part of the stars that make up the known cluster.

Movement of the constellation across the sky

Finding the constellation Ursa Major and Ursa Minor in the sky is quite simple. It is best seen in March and April. On crisp spring nights, we can spot the Great Bear directly overhead. The luminaries are high in the sky. However, after the first half of April, the cluster of celestial bodies moves to the west. During the summer months, the constellation slowly moves northwest. And at the end of August you can see the bucket very low in the north. There he will remain until winter. During the winter period, Ursa Major will again rise above the horizon, beginning its movement again from north to northeast.

Changes in the position of stars depending on the time of day

Focus on how the location of the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor changes throughout the day. For example, in February, at night, we see a bucket with its handle down, located in the northeast, and the next morning the constellation will move to the northwest. The handle will turn upward.

It is curious that the five stars inside the bucket form one group and move separately from the other two stars. Dubhe and Benetnash slowly move away in the opposite direction from the other five luminaries. It follows that in the near future the bucket will take on a completely different look. But we will not be destined to see this, since a significant change will become noticeable in about a hundred thousand years.

The secret of the stars Mizar and Alcor

There is a fascinating star pair in the Ursa Major cluster - Mizar and Alcor. What makes her so fascinating? In ancient times, these two stars were used to check the acuity of human vision. Mizar is a medium-sized star in the bowl of Ursa Major. Next to it is a barely visible Alcor star. A person with good eyesight will see these two stars without any problems, and vice versa, a person with poor eyesight will not be able to distinguish two stars in the sky. They will seem to him like one bright point in the sky. But these two stars are fraught with a couple more amazing mysteries.

The naked eye does not see the features inherent in them. If you point a telescope at Mizar, you can see two stars instead of one. They were conventionally designated Mizar A and Mizar B. But that’s not all. During spectral analysis, it turned out that Mizar A consists of two stars, and Mizar B - of three. Unfortunately, these night luminaries are so far from the earth that no optical devices can reach them so that the secret can be fully revealed.

Stars from the Ursa Minor cluster

The two stars in the wall of the bucket are also called Pointers. Merak and Dubhe received this name because, having drawn a straight line through them, we abut the polar star from the constellation Ursa Minor. This cluster of night luminaries is also called circumpolar. The list of stars in the Ursa Minor constellation contains 25 names. They can be seen with the naked eye. It is worth highlighting those that are popular. Plus they are the brightest.

Star Kohab. In the period from 3000 BC to 600 AD, this luminary, which contains the constellation Ursa Minor, acted as a guide for sailors. The polar star indicates the direction to North Pole. Also known luminaries of the cluster are Ferkad and Yildun.

For a very long time there was no generally accepted name

The constellation Ursa Minor is shaped like a ladle - almost like Ursa Major. The Phoenicians, one of the best navigators of ancient times, used such a cluster of luminaries for navigational purposes. But the Greek sailors were more guided by the Big Dipper. The Arabs saw a rider in the Ursa Minor, the Redskins saw a monkey, which clings to the center of the world with its tail and spins around it. As we see, there was no generally accepted meaning and name for a long time, and every nationality saw in the starry sky something of its own, close and easily explainable. What else can the constellation Ursa Major tell you about itself?

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. The omnipotent Zeus fell in love with Callisto, and she gave birth to a boy, Arcas. For this, the jealous wife of Zeus, 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 animal with an arrow. Zeus, seeing what was happening, did not allow the murder. Specifically, he turned Arkas into a smaller bear. The Lord of heaven placed them in the firmament so that mother and son would always remain together.

The Legend of the Small Cluster of Stars

There is a legend about the constellation Ursa Minor. It looks like this. While rescuing his son Zeus from his father, the Greek god Kronos, who was famous for devouring his babies, his wife Rhea stole the small child and took him to the caves. In addition to the goat, the baby was fed by two nymphs - Melissa and Helis. For this they were awarded. Zeus, when he became the ruler of the heavens, turned them into bears and placed them in the sky.

The legend about the appearance of the constellation according to storytellers from Greenland

In distant Greenland there is also a legend in which the constellation Ursa Major appears. The mythology and history of this cluster is quite popular. But one story has gained the greatest popularity among the Eskimos, and everyone tells it all about it. 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 majestic hunter Eriulok. He lived alone in a hut, as he was arrogant, considering himself the best in his business. 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 stately 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 failure. The goddess promised to help, but in return Eriulok had to bring her a ladle with magical 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 prolonged 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 wonderful berries. After all the adventures, Eriulok married and became the father of a huge 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.

A touching legend of good and evil

There is also one extraordinarily touching legend that concerns the constellation Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. In distant, distant times, among the hills and ravines, there stood an ordinary village. Lived in this settlement big family, and her daughter Aina grew up in her. There was no one kinder than this girl in the area. One morning, a dark cart appeared on the road leading to the village. There were black horses in harness. There was a man sitting on the cart, and his clothes were dark in color. He smiled widely, had fun and laughed from time to time. On the cart there was a dark cage in which a snow-white bear cub was chained. Large tears rolled from the animal's eyes. Many inhabitants of the village began to be indignant: isn’t it a shame for such a big dark man to hold a small snow-white bear cub on a chain, torment and mock him. Although people were indignant, the matter did not go beyond words.

And only when the cart reached the house where Aina lived, the good girl stopped it. Aina asked to let the bear cub go. The stranger laughed and said that he would let him go if someone gave the bear his eyes. None of the inhabitants even thought of doing this, except Aina. The black man agreed to release the bear cub in exchange for the girl's eyes. And Aina lost her sight. The snow-white bear cub came out of the cage and the tears stopped flowing from his eyes. The cart, along with the horses and the black man, melted into the air, and the snow-white bear cub remained in its place. He approached Aina, who was crying, gave her the rope tied to his collar, and led the girl through the fields and meadows. The inhabitants of the village, watching them, saw how the snow-white bear cub turned into a Huge Bear, and Aina turned into a small snow-white bear cub, and together they went into the sky. Since then, people have seen them walking together across the sky. They are always in the sky and remind people of good and evil. This instructive legend is famous for the constellation Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.

Because of progress, the aura of mystery has disappeared

Both in ancient times and in modern times, constellations help us navigate space. Travelers and sailors can tell the time by the brightness and location of the constellations, find the direction of movement, etc. Now we sit less often by the fire, less often look into the mysterious sky strewn with stars, and we no longer create legends about the Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia, and the Hounds. Few people can immediately show the constellation Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. We know from astronomy lessons that the stars are very far away, and these are mostly planets similar to our Sun.

The development of optical telescopes led to a number of discoveries about which our ancestors understood nothing. What can I say, man was even able to visit the Moon, take samples of lunar soil and successfully return back. Science has blown away the shroud of obscurity and mystery that has covered the world for many centuries. celestial bodies. And yet we secretly look into the sky, looking for this or that constellation, and we see in them not cold stars, but a snow-white Bear or a stern Leo, or Cancer, crawling across the heavenly surface. Therefore, many people like to admire the night sky, clear of clouds, on which a variety of luminaries, their combinations and clusters are clearly visible.

Conclusion

In this review, the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor were examined. They are not difficult to find in the sky. And, most likely, everyone has tried to do this at one time or another. And some even now, looking into the sky at night, try to determine the location of the bucket.

We hope that this review has told you a lot about this well-known cluster: what the constellation Ursa Major and Ursa Minor looks like, what stars are part of it, what legends it is characterized by, etc.

Instructions

Focus on the North Star. It is imperative to remember that Ursa Minor is located quite high above the horizon. Residents of Russia can observe it throughout the year. The Ursa Minor is surrounded by Giraffe, Cepheus and Draco - these are the ones that have practically no bright stars. Therefore, in search of Ursa Minor, you should focus specifically on the North Star, which is difficult not to notice in the sky. By the way, please note: the North Star has a pronounced yellowish color, and this is noticeable even when you look at it with ordinary binoculars. People have been guided by this star since ancient times: once upon a time, sailors used the North Star for navigation purposes.

Look for Ursa Minor in the neighboring constellation Ursa Major. Find the two extreme ones in the Big Dipper - Merak and Dubhe. Having found these stars, draw a mental line up through them - the length of this line should be approximately five times greater than the distance between the indicated stars. This "" will pass near the North Star. Next, you need to “descend” with your gaze along the small bucket - and thus find the entire constellation.

By the way, it is worth knowing that the constellation Ursa Minor is interesting not only for its appearance. Moreover, a very beautiful ancient Greek legend about the birth of Zeus is associated with it. It is believed that Zeus's mother, Gaia, decided to hide her son from father Cronus, who ate his children. The goddess took the newborn to the top of the mountain where the nymphs lived. The mother of the nymphs Melissa raised Zeus, and in gratitude he took her to heaven and made her the most beautiful constellation. There is another version of the legend: the nymph Callisto, the beloved of Zeus, and their common son Arkad were transformed into Ursa Minor.

Even people far from astronomy know very well that in the sky there is the constellation Ursa Major, which is shaped like a bucket. Many people have often seen the positions of the stars of Ursa Major in photographs and diagrams. And it seems like a large constellation, seven bright stars, but how difficult it is to find it in the sky at night!

Instructions

First of all, you must clearly understand the constellation that you want to find among the endless amount of night sky. Look for all kinds of photographs and diagrams of the starry sky in which Ursa Major will be highlighted in some way. Please note that all seven stars Ursa Major bright, large and always clearly visible.

During the year, the position of the “bucket” changes relative to the horizon. You may need a compass to determine which way to look.

On cool spring nights, you can find the Big Dipper directly overhead, the stars high in the sky. But closer to the middle, the “bucket” goes to the west. In summer, the constellation begins to slowly descend to the northwest. And already at the end of August you will be able to see the “bucket” very low in the north, where it will remain until the winter. In three months