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The Big Dipper seen from Fujian. The constellation of Ursa Major (Latin: Greater Bear) has been seen as a bear, a wagon, or a ladle.The "bear" tradition is Indo-European (appearing in Greek, as well as in Vedic India), [7] but apparently the name "bear" has parallels in Siberian or North American traditions.
Noted children's book author H. A. Rey, in his 1952 book The Stars: A New Way to See Them, (ISBN 0-395-24830-2) had a different asterism in mind for Ursa Major, that instead had the "bear" image of the constellation oriented with Alkaid as the tip of the bear's nose, and the "handle" of the Big Dipper part of the constellation forming the ...
The Big Dipper stars Dubhe (α UMa) and Alkaid (η UMa) are not members of the group, both being somewhat further away and moving in very different directions. The bright, nearby star Sirius was long believed to be a member of the group, but may not be, according to research in 2003 by Jeremy King et al. at Clemson University .
The Big Dipper asterism. The Big Dipper, also known as The Plough or Charles's Wain, is composed of the seven brightest stars in Ursa Major. [5] These stars delineate the Bear's hindquarters and exaggerated tail, or alternatively, the "handle" forming the upper outline of the bear's head and neck.
A star in the Big Dipper is an intergalactic alien, according to clues in its chemical fingerprints.The star's unusual chemistry is unlike that of all known stars in the Milky Way and instead has ...
The asterism of the Big Dipper (shown in this star map in green) lies within the constellation of Ursa Major. Septentrional, meaning "of the north", is a Latinate adjective sometimes used in English. It is a form of the Latin noun septentriones, which refers to the seven stars of the Plough (Big Dipper), occasionally called the Septentrion.
Mizar is known as Vasishtha, one of the Saptarishi, and Alcor as Arundhati, wife of Vasishtha, in Indian astronomy. [8] As a married couple, they are considered to symbolize marriage and in some Hindu communities to this day priests conducting a wedding ceremony allude to or point out the asterism as a symbol of the closeness marriage brings to a couple.
The Big Dipper's bowl and part of the handle photographed from the International Space Station. Mizar and Alcor are at the upper right. The multiple star system of Mizar (the double star on the right) and Alcor (left). The unrelated, fainter star Sidus Ludoviciana can be seen lower down.