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Ursa Minor (Latin for 'Lesser Bear', contrasting with Ursa Major), also known as the Little Bear, is a constellation located in the far northern sky.As with the Great Bear, the tail of the Little Bear may also be seen as the handle of a ladle, hence the North American name, Little Dipper: seven stars with four in its bowl like its partner the Big Dipper.
According to traditional Chinese uranography, the modern constellation Ursa Minor is located in Three Enclosures (三垣, Sān Yuán) The name of the western constellation in modern Chinese is 小熊座 ( xiǎo xióng zuò ), meaning "the little bear constellation".
Kochab / ˈ k oʊ k æ b /, Bayer designation Beta Ursae Minoris (β Ursae Minoris, abbreviated β UMi, Beta UMi), [10] [11] is the brightest star in the bowl of the Little Dipper asterism (which is part of the constellation of Ursa Minor), and only slightly fainter than Polaris, the northern pole star and brightest star in Ursa Minor.
– Look for the Little Dipper constellation. This will help you locate the North Star, also known as Polaris, at the end of the handle. – Above the North Star, you will find the constellation ...
Gamma Ursae Minoris (γ Ursae Minoris, abbreviated Gamma UMi, γ UMi), also named Pherkad / ˈ f ɜːr k æ d /, [11] [12] is a star in the northern constellation of Ursa Minor. Together with Beta Ursae Minoris (Kochab), it forms the end of the dipper pan of the "Little Dipper", which is an asterism forming the tail of the bear.
The context for this is the Egyptian belief that Ra (the sun god) was given birth to by Nut (the sky goddess). Nut was pictured as a naked female spread across the sky, and identified with the Milky Way – the legs formed by the bifurcation at Deneb in Cygnus , and the head by the swelling at Gemini .
It is part of Ursa Minor, constituting the end of the Little Dipper's handle. [23] From latitudes of around 35° north, in January, Ursa Major (containing the Big Dipper) appears to the northeast, while Cassiopeia is the northwest. To the west are Pisces (above the horizon) and Aries. To the southwest Cetus is near the horizon. Up high and to ...
Comet E3 will be found between the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper in the final nights of January leading up to its closest encounter with the Earth on Feb. 1.