One of the most famous constellations is Ursa Minor. It is small in size, there are no bright stars in it. And where is Ursa Minor and is it important? This cluster of stars is located near the North Pole. For many centuries, it has played an important role in astronomy, navigation and more.
Origin of the constellation
The constellation is one of the most ancient clusters of stars, which is why it is very difficult to determine the exact origin. In the ancient scriptures there are mentions by Homer of the Big Dipper, but information about Malaya was recorded later, approximately in 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 before people did not know where Ursa Minor is, and had no idea about its existence. It was withdrawn to a separate constellation only because of its proximity to the north pole. The Ursa Minor is the easiest to navigate. In astronomy, this constellation was introduced around six hundred years BC by Miletus.
Myths and legends
There are legends and myths about the constellation. The first myth says that Ray's mother hid the baby from the father of Kronos, who, due to prophecy, killed all his children. When Zeus was born, his mother put a stone in his place, thus deceiving Kronos. She hid the baby in a cave, where he was fed by two bears - Gelis and Melissa, later they were ascended to heaven. And when Zeus grew up, he overthrew his father and freed his brothers and sisters. All of them became Olympic gods.
Another legend speaks of Callisto, daughter of Lycaon, ruler of Arcadi. The legend says that the queen had an unusual beauty that delighted Zeus. He assumed the guise of the goddess-hunter Artemis, whom Callisto served. Zeus entered the girl, and her son Arkan was born. The wife of Zeus Hera found out about this and turned Callisto into a bear. Years later, Arkan grew up. Once, when he went hunting, he saw a bear’s footprint and walked along it, suspecting nothing. He wanted to kill the beast. But Zeus did not allow this and turned his son into a bear too: he transferred Callisto and Arcanum to heaven. This act angered Hera. She met with Poseidon and asked not to let her husband and her child’s mistress into her kingdom. Because of this, Ursa Minor and Ursa Major never go beyond the horizon.
Constellation location
And where is Ursa Minor located, how to find it? Before you try to find the constellation in the sky, you should know how it looks. The main part of the constellation is the bucket. It is not as visible in the sky as the Big Dipper bucket.
To find all the stars of the constellation, you must first find the Ursa Major. An imaginary vertical line with a slight bend is drawn through the extreme stars of the bucket. Then it is extended upward by five of the same segments. The line will lead to the North Star. It is bright and is the end of the handle of the Ursa Minor bucket. What's next? Where is Ursa Minor and where to move from the North Star? Then from the North Star you need to move towards the Ursa Major, where the bucket itself is located. Unlike Ursa Major, the handle of Malaya is curved in the opposite direction. Now it became clear where the Ursa Minor is located in relation to the Ursa Major.
The main thing is not to be confused
In this constellation, as in the Bolshoi, there are seven stars, but they are not so bright. The brightest are three objects, and the remaining four are not always visible in the night sky. Because of this feature, many telescope enthusiasts often misunderstand the bucket. They manage to take the Pleiades bucket for Ursa Minor. Knowing where Ursa Minor is, and if at least once to find it, it is unlikely that it will ever be lost sight of.
The brightest bucket stars
To find out where Ursa Minor is, you need to learn how to identify the North Star. How to find it is discussed above.
The small bucket is formed by the following stars:
- Beta or Cohab;
- Gamma or Ferkad;
- Yildun;
- Polar.
There are other stars that form the bucket and handle.
The Polar Star will tell about where the constellation Ursa Minor is. This is the brightest star, comparable in magnitude with the objects of Ursa Major. By the way, in the list of the brightest stars, it takes only 48th place, and it is not the brightest, according to people who are far from astronomy. A polar star can be called a nail, which is motionless in the night sky, and around which all other stars move.
The next star is Cohab or Beta. In brilliance, it is similar to Polyarnaya. Kohab glows with an orange glow. This star is colder than our Sun, and its size is forty times larger than it.
Fercab is another giant among the stars. It is hotter than Cohab and the North Star, but several times inferior in brilliance.
All stars constellations
Ferkab, Kokhab and the North Star are the brightest stars of Ursa Minor that are always visible. There are forty-seven objects in the constellation, but only seven can be seen with the naked eye, and even then, in fine weather. Usually only three stars are visible.
Seven stars create a bucket and a handle, and you can quickly and easily determine where the Ursa Minor is in the sky. The remaining forty stars from amateurs are not taken into account. However, if all these stars are connected by lines, a schematic representation of the bear is obtained, although some argue that it is more like a dog. For information, the ancient Greeks called the North Star Kinosura, which means the tail of a dog. Maybe they also schematically connected the stars into constellations and saw in the drawing a cute doggie? The answer to this question will remain a mystery to astronomers and scientists around the world.