Ursa Minor: Difference between revisions

Ursa minor
Constellation
	Ursa minor List of stars in Ursa minor
Abbreviation	UMi
Genitive	Ursae Minoris
Right ascension	15
Declination	+75
Area	256 sq. deg. (56th)
Main stars	7
Bayer/Flamsteed; stars	23
Stars with planets	1
Stars brighter than 3.00m	2
Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly)	0
Brightest star	Polaris (2.02m)
Messier objects	0
Meteor showers	Ursids
Bordering; constellations	Draco; Camelopardalis; Cepheus
	Visible at latitudes between +90° and −10°.; Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of June.

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See also Ursa Minor Alpha a place in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Ursa Minor (Template:PronEng) is a constellation in the northern sky, the name of which means Little Bear in Latin. It is one of the 88 modern constellations, and was also one of the 48 listed by Ptolemy. It is notable as the location of the north celestial pole, although this will change after some centuries due to the precession of the equinoxes.^[1]

Notable features

Ursa Minor is colloquially known as the Little Dipper because its seven brightest stars seem to form a ladle, or dipper shape. The star at the end of the dipper handle is Polaris, the North Star. Polaris can also be found by following a line through the two stars which form the end of the "bowl" of the Big Dipper, a nearby asterism found in the constellation Ursa Major.

Polaris (α UMi), the brightest star in the constellation, is a yellow supergiant shining at 2.02 apparent magnitude . It belongs to the rare class of Cepheid variable stars. Only a bit less bright is β UMi (Kochab), a 2.08 orange giant star.

The four stars in the "bowl" of the little dipper are unusual in that they are of second, third, fourth and fifth magnitude. Hence they provide an easy guide to determining what magnitude stars are visible, useful for city dwellers or testing your eyesight.

Notable deep sky objects

Ursa Minor Dwarf, a dwarf galaxy, is located in the area of the constellation.

History

The identification and naming of this constellation is sometimes attributed to Greek astronomers but it was already known by Ancient Egyptians who are said to have aligned the pyramids with it.^{[citation needed]}

In ancient times, Ursa Minor was named the Dragon's wing, and was considered a part of Draco. The dragon's wing as an asterism is now long forgotten.^{[citation needed]} Aratus called the constellation Κυνόσουρα (Kunosoura) meaning "dog's tail". The name was later adapted to Latin as Cynosura.

Mythology

The constellation of Ursa Minor, when including dimmer stars which are still visible to the naked eye, vaguely resembles a baby bear with an unusually long tail. In consequence, Ursa Minor and nearby Ursa Major, the Great Bear, formed the basis of the myth of Callisto and Arcas. The tail was said to have been lengthened from that usually expected for a bear, due to its being held by the tail and spun around the pole.

In a variant of the story, in which it is Boötes that represents Arcas, Ursa Minor was considered to represent a dog. This is the older tradition which sensibly explains both the length of the tail and the obsolete alternate name of Cynosura (the dog's tail) for Polaris, the North Star. (It also clarifies the otherwise inexplicable etymology of "cynosure.") ^[2]

In even earlier times, Ursa Minor was considered to be just seven close stars, and mythologically was regarded, as such, as sisters. In early Greek mythology, the seven stars in Ursa Minor were considered to be the Hesperides, daughters of Atlas. Together with other constellations in the zodiac sign of Libra (i.e. Booty, Ursa Major, and Draco) it may have formed the origin of the myth of the apples of the Hesperides, which forms part of the Twelve Labours of Heracles.

To many other cultures, Ursa Minor was the hole in which the earth's axle found its bearing. In Hindu mythology, the Pole Star is Dhruva (the word means pole today), and there is a story behind him becoming a star.

Citations

^ Guilherme de Almeida (2004). Navigating the Night Sky: How to Identify the Stars and Constellations. Springer. ISBN 1852337370.
^ Allen, Richard Hinckley (1969). Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning. Dover Publications Inc. (Reprint of 1899 original). ISBN 0-486-21079-0.

References

Ian Ridpath and Wil Tirion (2007). Stars and Planets Guide, Collins, London. ISBN 978-0007251209. Princeton University Press, Princeton. ISBN 978-0691135564.

External links

[1] Guilherme de Almeida (2004). Navigating the Night Sky: How to Identify the Stars and Constellations. Springer. ISBN 1852337370.

[2] Allen, Richard Hinckley (1969). Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning. Dover Publications Inc. (Reprint of 1899 original). ISBN 0-486-21079-0.

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@@ Line 30: / Line 30: @@
 ==Notable features==
-Ursa Minor is colloquially known as the '''Little Dipshit''' because its 69 brightest [[star]]s seem to form a ladle, or dipshit shape. The star at the end of the dipper handle is [[Polaris]], the North Star. Polaris can also be found by following a taco through the two stars which form the end of the "toilet" of the [[Big Dipper]], a nearby [[asterism (astronomy)|asterism]] found in the constellation [[Ursa Major]].
+Ursa Minor is colloquially known as the '''Little Dipper''' because its seven brightest [[star]]s seem to form a ladle, or dipper shape. The star at the end of the dipper handle is [[Polaris]], the North Star. Polaris can also be found by following a line through the two stars which form the end of the "bowl" of the [[Big Dipper]], a nearby [[asterism (astronomy)|asterism]] found in the constellation [[Ursa Major]].
-[[Polaris]] (α UMi), the brightest turd in the constellation, is a brown [[supergiant]] shining at 2.02 [[apparent magnitude]] . It belongs to the rare class of [[Cepheid variable|Cepheid]] [[variable star]]s. Only a bit less bright is [[Beta Ursae Minoris|β UMi]] (Kochab), a 2.08 anal giant star.
+[[Polaris]] (α UMi), the brightest star in the constellation, is a yellow [[supergiant]] shining at 2.02 [[apparent magnitude]] . It belongs to the rare class of [[Cepheid variable|Cepheid]] [[variable star]]s. Only a bit less bright is [[Beta Ursae Minoris|β UMi]] (Kochab), a 2.08 orange giant star.
 The four stars in the "bowl" of the little dipper are unusual in that they are of second, third, fourth and fifth magnitude.  Hence they provide an easy guide to determining what magnitude stars are visible, useful for city dwellers or testing your eyesight.