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Ursa Major ConstellationThe Ursa Major constellation is one of the most well-known, aside from the Orion constellation. Also referred to as the Great Bear, it has a companion called Ursa Minor, or Little Bear. The body and tail of the bear constitute what is commonly called the Big Dipper.
Known also as the Plough, the Wain and in a large number of cases the Wagon, this constellation has a good deal of background behind it. A number of different societies saw a large bear in the heavens. The ancient Greeks had a handful of different stories to describe how the animal wound up there. In one tale, Hera found out Zeus was being unfaithful with Callisto and switched her into a bear. Zeus placed her in the sky together with her son, Arcas, who grew to become the Little Bear. Ursa Major is filled with distinctive celestial objects. A couple of the stars, Dubhe and Merak, are pointer stars. Should you be studying the Big Dipper, the external edge stars that define the"bowl" of the dipper include the two stars, along with Merak being the one on the top. If you connect a line between the two, and extend it north a distance about 5 times the distance between them it will eventually connect with the North Star, Polaris. If you join the handle of the dipper with a line, it's going to lead to the star, Arcturus, inside the constellation, Bootes. In one Greek fantasy, the star symbolized the guardian, Arcturus, who retained the bears from straying off from their path. Above the top of the bear are two galaxies, M81 and M82. Both of them are Twelve million light years away, but M81 is one of the brightest galaxies in the sky. Last but not least, the Owl Nebula is situated to the lower left of Dubhe. It's so called for the reason that a number of pictures reveal what appears like a pair of eyes. The majority of the constellation is circumpolar, meaning it can be observed throughout the year. Nevertheless, elements of the legs will vanish from the sky in the fall and come back in winter. Return From Ursa Major Constellation To Star Charts Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Sitemap | Contact | Link To Us
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