Ursa Minor is a
constellation in the northern sky, the name of which means
Small 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 effects of
precession.
Notable features
Ursa Minor contains an
asterism 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''" or "''Pole 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.
The seven stars are the origin of the
Latin word
septentrion meaning "north," and now found as the adjective
septentrional (northern) in
French and
Spanish, to go with adjectives for the other three directions that refer to the position of the sun.
The two brightest stars are:
- Polaris (α UMi): a yellow supergiant of spectral type F7 and an apparent brightness of 2.02m
- Kochab (β UMi): a giant orange star; spectral type K4; brightness 2.08
Stars
:Stars with proper names:
:
- Polaris or Pole Star or Lodestar or Alruccabah [''Alruccaba''] or Cynosura or Phoenice or Tramontana or Angel Stern or Navigatoria or Star of Arcady or Yilduz or Mismar or Polyarnaya (1/α UMi) 1.97
:
- : < cynosūra < κυνόσουρα The dog’s tail [Ursa minor]
:
- Kochab [Kokab, Kochah] (7/β UMi) 2.07
:
- : < < الكوكب الشمالي az-kawkab aš-šamāliyy The north star (''lit.'' heavenly body) [named when it was the pole star]
:
- Pherkad or Pherkad Major (13/γ UMi) 3.00
:
- : < فرقد farqad calf < ? alifa al farkadayn The dim one of the two calves [along with the brighter Kochab].
:
- Yildun [''Gildun, Vildiur, Yilduz''] (23/δ UMi) 4.36
:
:
- Alifa al Farkadain (16/ζ UMi) 4.29
:
- : < ? alifa al farkadayn The dim one of the two calves [originally applied to Pherkad]
:
- Anwar al Farkadain or Alasco (21/η UMi) 4.95
:
- : < ? anwar al-farkadayn The light [bright] one of the two calves [originally applied to Kochab]
:
- Pherkad Minor (11 UMi) 5.02
:Stars with Bayer designations:
:: 22/ε UMi 4.21; 15/θ UMi 5.00; λ UMi 6.31; π
1 UMi – double 6.57, 7.53; π
2 UMi 6.89
:Stars with Flamsteed designations:
:: 2 UMi 4.24; 3 UMi 6.43; 4 UMi 4.80; 5 UMi 4.25; 8 UMi 6.83; 9 UMi 6.64; 14 UMi 7.52; 18 UMi 5.73; 19 UMi 5.48; 20 UMi 6.36; 24 UMi 5.78
History
This constellation is said to have been introduced in the 6th century B.C. by the Greek astronomer
Thales of Miletus, but was certainly already used as a guide by sailors.
In ancient time, 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.
Mythology
The constellation of Ursa Minor, which, when including less visible stars which are still visible to the naked eye, vaguely resembles a bear (with an unusually long tail). In consequence, together with the nearby
Ursa Major, it formed the basis of the myth of
Callisto. The tail was said to have been lengthened, from that usually expected for a bear, due to the incessant spinning of the bear, by the tail, around the pole.
In earlier times, Ursa Minor was considered just to be 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.
Boötes,
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 Herakles.
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.
See Also
External links
The Deep Photographic Guide to the Constellations: Ursa Minor
de:Kleiner Bär
es:Ursa Minor
eo:Urseto
fr:Petite Ourse
ko:작은곰자리
id:Ursa Minor
it:Ursa Minor
la:Ursa Minor
nl:Ursa Minor
ja:こぐま座
pl:Mała Niedźwiedzica
pt:Ursa Minor
ru:Малая Медведица (созвездие)
fi:Pieni karhu
th:กลุ่มดาวหมีเล็ก