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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.
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.
In Hinduism, The earliest mention of Ursa Major/Big dipper/ Great Bear is known as Saptarshi, each of the stars representing one of the Saptarishis or Seven Sages (Rishis) viz. Bhrigu, Atri, Angiras, Vasishtha, Pulastya, Pulaha, and Kratu. is found in the Rigveda (c. 1500–1200 BCE), one of the oldest known texts in human history.
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. This research ...
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.
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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.
The ancient Greeks saw the asterism now called the "Big Dipper" or "Plough" as a cart with oxen. [1] [10] Some myths say that Boötes invented the plow and was memorialized for his ingenuity as a constellation. [11] Another myth associated with Boötes by Hyginus is that of Icarius, who was schooled as a grape farmer and winemaker by Dionysus.