In which hemisphere is the constellation Ursa Major located? Ursa Major: dipper in autumn

19.10.2012

Ursa Major is one of the largest constellations known to modern astronomers. In the sky, it occupies an area of ​​approximately 1280 square degrees, it includes 125 stars, of different sizes, visible to the naked eye, without using additional funds observation of the sky. Only two constellations have an area larger than Ursa Major. These are the constellations Hydra (1300 sq. degrees) and Virgo (1290 sq. degrees).

The seven stars that make up the Big Dipper have names that were given to them in ancient times. This is what it means Arabic the names of these stars: Dubhe - bear, Merak - ridge, Fegda - thigh, Megrets - root of the tail, Aliot means - black horse, Mizar - sash or apron, Benetnash - leader of the mourners. The most distant of these stars is Benetnash. From her the light travels to us for 815 years, from Aliot - 408 years, from Fegda - 163 years, from Dubhe - 105 years, from Mizar - 88 years, from Merak - 78 years and from Megrets - 63 years. Five of the seven stars (except Dubhe and Benetnash) belong to the so-called stellar stream, because they move in the same direction, at approximately the same speed.

The stars Dubhe and Benetnash are also moving, but in exactly the opposite direction. There are many double, beautiful stars in Ursa Major. Among them, the most famous and accessible to observation with the naked eye are Mizar and Alcor. These stars are called rhetorically “horse” and “rider”. A person with keen vision can see the “rider” separately from the “horse”. Mizar is a star of the second magnitude, and Alcor is the fifth. The angular distance between them is about 12 minutes. arcs, which is quite solvable for the eye. In turn, Mizar consists of two giant, very hot stars that orbit around a common center of mass with an established period of about 20 thousand years. In addition, one of these stars is a spectrally binary star.

In the constellation Ursa Major, in an area that is located between the stars Merak and Fegda, but closer to the first star, there is an interesting object for observation through a telescope - the bright galactic planetary nebula M 97. For its appearance nebula received interesting name- "Owl". At the center of this vast, beautiful nebula of gas is a faint star that measures 14th magnitude. This star probably exploded and ejected its shell of gas, which continues to expand. The integral brightness of the nebula is 12th magnitude.

It occupies a spot in the sky with a diameter of 3.4 arc minutes. This is a lot, considering the enormous distance: its light travels to us for almost 7.5 thousand years. Ursa Major contains two significant galaxy clusters. One of them consists of 300 galaxies (although in the sky the diameter of the cluster is only 40 minutes of arc), it is 75 million light years away, and it is moving away from us at a speed of 11,800 kilometers per second. Another cluster consists of 400 galaxies and is moving away at a speed of 42 thousand kilometers per second. The cluster is 238 million light years away.

Ursa Major ... Wikipedia

Click on the image to enlarge it Lat. name Ursa Major (genus Ursae Majoris) Abbreviation UMa Symbol Ursa Major Right ascension ... Wikipedia

- (lat. Ursa Major) constellation of the Northern Hemisphere, in which a group of 7 stars is distinguished - the Big Dipper; the middle star of the handle of the ladle is called Mizar, next to it is the faint star Alcor... Big encyclopedic Dictionary

- (Ursa Major), the famous constellation of the northern part of the sky, which is otherwise called the “Plow” or “Big Dipper”. Its design is formed by seven stars. The five stars from the Plow form a moving CLUSTER, a group of stars that move in the same direction through... Scientific and technical encyclopedic dictionary

- (The Great Bear, Charles's wain, Ursa major) a vast constellation of the Northern Hemisphere; in our latitudes it is visible at all times of the year. The seven main stars are arranged in a bucket shape. Very noticeable in the sky and convenient for orientation. A line drawn... ...Nautical Dictionary

Noun, number of synonyms: 2 arctos (2) constellation (121) ASIS Dictionary of Synonyms. V.N. Trishin. 2013… Synonym dictionary

- (lat. Ursa Major) constellation of the Northern hemisphere of the sky. The seven stars of B.M. form a figure resembling a ladle with a handle. The two brightest stars, Alioth and Dubhe, have a magnitude of 1.8 visual magnitude. According to the two extreme stars of this figure α ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

- (lat. Ursa Major), the constellation of the Northern Hemisphere, in which a group of 7 stars is distinguished - the Big Dipper; the middle star of the handle of the ladle is called Mizar, next to it is the faint star Alcor. * * * URSA GREAT URSA GREAT (lat. Ursa... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Big Dipper- Constellation of the Northern Hemisphere, in which a group of seven stars, the Big Dipper, is distinguished. The middle star of the handle of the ladle is Mizar, next to it is the Alcor star. The seven stars of Ursa Major shone low above the horizon (V. Garshin. From memories... ... Phrasebook Russian literary language

- (lat. Ursa Major), constellation North. hemispheres, in which a group of 7 Big Dipper stars is distinguished; Wed bucket handle star Mizar, next to it is the faint star Alcor... Natural science. encyclopedic Dictionary

Books

• Big Cart, Max Fry. “The Big Cart, or the Big Cart, is how some peoples called the constellation Ursa Major. The concept of the book is as follows: the map of the constellation was superimposed in a certain way on the map of Europe, ...
• Big Cart, Fry Max. A new book Max Frei connects geography and astronomy, the earthly and the heavenly. “The Big Cart or the Big Cart is how some people called the constellation Ursa Major. The concept of the book...

We are starting a series of posts where we will talk about the constellations of the night sky. Let's talk about the origin, about interesting stars and objects, and of course about how to find all this in the starry sky))

Let's start with Ursa Major - the most famous constellation in the northern hemisphere. Usually this is where acquaintance with starry sky. Many people have known it since childhood. And often found in films and cartoons.

Why is the dipper called the Big Dipper?

The base of the Big Dipper is 7 bright stars in the form of a ladle. Looking at them, questions often arise - how can this bucket look like a bear?))
I also asked myself this question when, in distant childhood, I first became acquainted with the constellation. And only a few years later, in one of the reference books, I saw the full version of this constellation. Everything fell into place.

The scoop is only the main part of the Big Dipper and its tail. There are also paws and a head. It’s just that these stars are less bright and are more difficult to see in city light.

Ursa Major is one of the largest constellations. It occupies third place in the starry sky, after Hydra and Virgo (we will talk about them in one of the subsequent posts).
The Ursa Major's ladle has been known since ancient times, but different nations this constellation was called by different names: Plow, Cart, Seven Wise Men, etc. Mention of the constellation was found among the ancient Greeks back in the 3rd century BC.

Also, the Big Dipper is depicted on the Alaska flag))

Stars of Ursa Major

The brightest star (alpha) of Ursa Major is Dubhe, translated from Arabic means "bear". It is located at the right top of the bucket.

Just below is Merak- the second brightest star (beta) of Ursa Ursa. Translated from Arabic as "lower back". Together these stars form the wall of the bucket, which is often called the pointer. If we draw a straight line through these stars, we will come across the famous North Star- companion of all travelers and sailors.

The North Star is located at the very tail of another constellation - Ursa Minor. But let's return to Ursa Major.

Mizar- the sixth brightest (zeta) star of Ursa Major. She's second in line. It's interesting because it's double star. If you look closely, you can see very close to Mizar - Alcor (from Arabic means “forgotten”, “insignificant”), a neighboring star. It is believed that since ancient times, the ability to distinguish between these 2 stars has been a reliable method of testing vision.

The double star was first observed through a telescope by Galileo back in 1617.

And in our time, given modern technical advances, even the simplest amateur telescope is sufficient to observe Mizar/Alcor.

This is what Mizar and Alcor look like through a telescope .

Deep space objects

The constellation Ursa Major contains many interesting deep space objects. To observe them, you will need a more powerful telescope, but quite an amateur one.

Pinwheel Galaxy. Included in the Messier catalog under the index M101. It was discovered back in 1781, using a device that was primitive by today’s standards. Moving away from the city, with a modern telescope you can see the spiral structure of the galaxy.
And this picture is given by professional equipment:

The Pinwheel Galaxy is located between the outermost stars of the Ursa Dipper's tail and forms an almost equilateral triangle.

But this is not the only deep space object located in the Ursa Major region.

To the right-higher from Dubhe, located almost nearby: Cigar Galaxy (M 82)

And Bode galaxy

And to the left of the star Merak(lower-right bucket star) is located Owl Nebula (M 97) And Galaxy Surfboard (M 108).

Near Fekdoy(lower-left star of the bucket), can be found Galaxy Vacuum Cleaner (M 109).

We will tell you more about each nebula and galaxy from the Messier catalog, as well as how to find them in future issues.

Now is the time to get yours or and go hunting. After all, onThe best conditions for visibility of the Big Dipper are in March and April. So, wait for a warm, clear night, take a thermos with aromatic coffee with you and go out under the starry sky, say hello to the already familiar Ursa Major))

Since ancient times, people have been observing the night sky. There is something invariably attractive in the process of contemplating a clear moon and distant stars. All this makes your soul feel good and peaceful.

An inquisitive observer will sooner or later begin to find patterns in the sky - bizarre clusters of stars forming various figures. It will not escape his attention and we will consider it in detail in our article.

Ursa Major as imagined by ancient people

Ursa Major is one of the most ancient constellations in the night sky. Almost all peoples have references in their culture to this amazing cluster of stars.

The Indians were the first to pay attention to him, giving beautiful name“Sapta Rishi”, which means “seven sages” in Sanskrit. In Chinese astronomy, the constellation was called the “Northern Dipper”. The resourceful Chinese began to use it to count time.

The most interesting explanation for the beautiful cluster of stars in the sky was found by the Greeks. Of course, the myth is dedicated to the Big Dipper. It says that the powerful Zeus fell in love with the beautiful nymph Callisto. The domineering wife of Zeus did not like this. To save the beautiful girl from the revenge of his domineering wife, the God of Thunder turned her into a Bear and sent her to live in heaven. Now the beautiful Callisto delights all lovers of the starry sky with its soft shimmering radiance.

Glowing bucket in the night sky

Now let's look at the Big Dipper bucket. It is most beautiful in autumn. From a scientific point of view, the constellation is the third largest in area after Hydra and Virgo. Its size is 1280 square degrees. Ursa Major (the dipper, the photo of which is presented below) has a visible part of seven bright stars. Let's list them:

• Dubhe - Bear;
• Merak - Lower back;
• Fekda - Thigh;
• Megrets - Beginning of the tail;
• Aliot - Kurdyuk;
• Mizar - Loincloth;
• Benetnash is the leader of the mourners.

All names are Arabic and mean 7 bright stars that form the legendary Ladle.

Location in the sky

The starry sky is unthinkable without the constellation Ursa Major. The bucket is located in the northern part of the sky in autumn. It can be observed between 3-4 am above the northeastern horizon. A good guide its handle will serve to indicate the place of sunrise.

Ursa Major - the path to knowledge of astronomy

Beginners need to learn how to find the Ursa Major bucket in the fall (photo of the constellation below). This cluster of stars is one of the most visible in the night sky. This exercise will be a good preparation for young astronomy lovers for a more detailed study of the starry sky, namely:

• to finding less noticeable constellations in the sky. Advanced astronomers use Ursa Major as a guide to find other stars;
• to interesting observations of the sky throughout the year. You can notice how already familiar stars change their location, where the month rises, etc.;
• to carry out the first calculations. Over time, a person remembers the distance between the corner stars of the bucket;
• to the first skills of working with a hand telescope. If there is one, the young sky watcher will find stars invisible to the ordinary eye. This means double and variable stars; there is a possibility of even seeing the exploding galaxy M82.

Ursa Major: dipper in autumn

The location of the constellations largely depends on the time of year. Ursa Major (Bucket) in the fall is no exception to the rule.

The autumn sky is not rich in stars. Even the traditionally bright constellation Ursa Major glows dimly. The Big Dipper dipper is located in the north under the North Star in autumn; her tail is directed to the west. Cassiopeia stands at the zenith.

But in the east the constellation Pleiades rises high, and below it the bright star Aldebaran, which is located in the constellation Taurus, clearly shines. At this time, two bright stars rise in the northeast: experienced specialist Looking at the starry sky, he immediately recognizes them as Geminis.

So, let’s summarize what constellations can be seen in the autumn night sky in its northern part:

• Ursa Major;
• Ursa Minor;
• Gemini;
• Taurus;
• Lyra and Swans.

Geometry of the starry sky

Having found the Ursa Major bucket in the fall, you can get carried away and devote an hour or two to searching for other familiar stars. The most important thing is a sincere desire, and, of course, a map of the night sky won’t hurt.

Let's turn our attention to southern part sky. It is there that Andromeda and Pegasus rise every autumn. In the upper left corner of the sky there are two stars of the first constellation, invariably followed by three stars of the second.

Andromeda consists of four stars located at a great distance from each other. The constellation itself is located under Cassiopeia. Andromeda somewhat vaguely resembles the figure of a bow. The last one is directed exactly towards the Pleiades and Taurus. You even get the feeling that an arrow is about to fly out of the bow and fly to the left, towards the indicated constellations. But this, of course, is not true. This is just a play of the imagination and has nothing to do with the majestic starry sky.

Under Andromeda you can see two small stars - this is Aries. And under it there are many luminous points scattered - you can see Aries and Keith only during clear weather.

In Pegasus, in addition to three bright stars, it is worth remembering two more: they are located to the right. The figure of Pegasus itself looks like horns. One gets the impression that they want to trick Swan.

Picture: Ursa Major dipper in autumn

Nothing promotes creativity like observing clear sky. Therefore, there is a high probability that you will be inspired to engage in some creative activity after contemplating the night luminaries. Some people want to write a fascinating story about their nighttime experience, some want to dance to their favorite music, and some want to sketch a glowing bucket.

We will tell you about the last type of creative activity - about sketching the Ursa.

It’s easy to draw a bucket, because it’s just geometric figure, consisting of an inverted trapezoid and a broken straight line. But you can experiment with the background, location and color of the picture to suit your taste. Here everyone will have their own vision of the color and location of a bizarre figure on a sheet of paper.

Try to put some of your feelings into the drawing, and then it will turn out really interesting. As you can see, drawing the Big Dipper's bucket in the fall is not at all difficult.

Ursa Major in culture

• the constellation is an asterism. This term refers to a funeral procession followed by 2 benetnash stars (2 mourners);
• The oldest name for Ursa Major is “Arktos”. Refers to the prehistoric era of nomadic hunters. This once again confirms that people of all eras loved the starry sky;
• The Big Dipper (Dipper in the fall) is featured on the Alaska flag;
• anime related. The character from the popular manga about Kenshiro wears a scar on his chest in the shape of a Bucket. Today, Russian viewers can enjoy the space three-part novel “Fist of the North Star: New Era”;
• in the museum contemporary art There is a painting called "The Big Dipper". It is named so because cigarettes smoking people are arranged in a sequence that forms the figure of that very Ladle.

MYTHOLOGY

Callisto(Greek Καλλιστώ) - in Greek mythology, the Arcadian woman, the daughter of Lycaon, was among the companions of Artemis the hunter, was turned into a bear for not retaining her virginity and gave birth to Arkad and Pan. According to another version, she was turned into a beast by Zeus, who tried to hide her from Hera’s jealousy.

When Arkad, who did not know her and was raised by Maya or Hermes, wanted to kill her, Zeus carried both of them to the sky with the constellations: Callisto- Ursa Major, Arcade- Arctophylak (Keeper of the Ursa, now) or the star Arcturus in this constellation. Hera, who pursued her with her anger, deprived her of the opportunity to refresh herself for part of the day in the waves of the ocean; that's why Ursa Major never sets.

In the picture - painting - Francois Boucher "Callisto and Jupiter Zeus takes the image of Artemis"

In Chinese astronomy, the seven stars of the dipper are called the Northern Dipper (Beidou). In ancient times, the handle of the ladle pointed almost to the pole and was used by the Chinese to keep time.

The constellation Ursa Major is associated with one myth, which still worries us today with the tragedy described in it. Once upon a time, King Lycaon ruled in Arcadia. And he had a daughter, Callisto, known throughout the world for her charm and beauty. Even the ruler of Heaven and Earth, the thunderer Zeus, admired her divine beauty as soon as he saw her. Secretly from his jealous wife - the great goddess Hera - Zeus constantly visited Callisto in her father's palace. From him she gave birth to a son, Arkad, who grew up quickly. Slender and handsome, he deftly shot a bow and often went hunting in the forest. Hera learned about the love of Zeus and Callisto. Flowing into a rage, she turned Callisto into an ugly bear. When Arkad returned from hunting in the evening, he saw a bear in the house. Not knowing it's his, he pulled the bowstring... But Zeus did not allow Arkad, albeit unwittingly, to commit such a serious crime. Even before Arkad fired the arrow, Zeus grabbed the bear by the tail and quickly soared with her into the sky, where he left her in the form of the constellation Ursa Major. But while Zeus was carrying the bear, her tail began to lengthen, which is why the Big Dipper has such a long and curved tail in the sky. Knowing how much Callisto was attached to her maid, Zeus took her to heaven and left her there in the form of a small but beautiful constellation. Zeus and Arcade took them to the sky and turned them into a constellation.

There is another version of this myth. The eternally young goddess Artemis, dressed in hunting clothes, with a bow, quiver and a sharp spear, wandered through the mountains and forests for a long time in search of good game. Following her, her companions and maids moved, resounding with laughter and songs across the mountain peaks. The girls were one more beautiful than the other, but the most charming was Callisto. When Zeus saw her, he admired her youth and beauty. But the maids of Artemis were forbidden to marry. To take possession of her, Zeus resorted to cunning.

One night, in the form of Artemis, he appeared before Callisto... From Zeus, Callisto gave birth to a son, Arkad, who quickly grew up and became an unsurpassed hunter. The jealous wife of Zeus, Hera, who learned about her husband's love affair, brought down her anger on Callisto, turning her into an ugly, clumsy bear.

One day, Callisto's son Arkad was wandering through the forest, and suddenly a bear came out of the bushes to meet him. Not knowing that it was his mother, he pulled the bowstring, and the arrow flew at the bear... But Zeus, who vigilantly protected his beloved Callisto, at the last moment retracted the arrow, and it flew past.

At the same time, Zeus turned Arkad into a small bear cub. After that, he grabbed the bear and the cub by the tails and carried them to the sky. There he left Callisto to shine as the beautiful constellation Ursa Major, and Arcade as the constellation. In the sky, in the form of the constellations Callisto and Arcades, they became even more beautiful than on Earth. Not only people admired them, but also Zeus himself. From the top of Olympus, he often looked at the constellations Big and enjoyed their beauty and continuous movement across the sky.

The flag was designed in 1926 by 13-year-old Alaska Native Benny Benson, and in 1927 adopted as the official symbol of the Territory of Alaska, which became a state on January 3, 1959.

Eight gold (yellow) are depicted on a blue background five-pointed stars: Seven in the image of the Big Dipper and the North Star in the upper right corner.

The Big Dipper symbolizes power, and the North Star symbolizes the north (Alaska is the northernmost territory of the United States).

Source: http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursa Major_(constellation)