The brightest star in the sky, Ursa Minor. Task one. We are looking for Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia and the Dragon. History and mythology of the constellation Ursa Minor

There are many different constellations. Some of them are known to all. Only a small part of people know about others. But there is a cluster of night luminaries, which is known to absolutely everyone. This article will look at how Ursa Major and Malaya are located. Constellations are characterized by a large number of legends. And some of them will also be told. We should also talk about the most famous and brightest luminaries that can be seen in this fairly popular cluster.

The night sky always attracts attention

Starry sky, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Andromeda, Southern Cross… What could be more beautiful and majestic? Millions of stars shine and sparkle, luring inquiring minds to themselves. Man has always searched for his place in the Universe, wondering how the world works, where his place is in it, whether he was created by the gods or he himself is a divine entity. Sitting by the fire at night and looking into the distant sky, people learned one simple truth - the stars are not ugly scattered across the sky. They have their legal place.

Every night the stars remained the same, in the same place. Today, any adult knows that the stars are located at different distances from the earth. But, looking at the sky, we cannot tell which luminaries are located further and which are closer. Our ancestors could distinguish them only by the brightness of the glow. They singled out a small fraction of the brightest luminaries, formed a group of stars into characteristic figures, calling them constellations. In modern astrology, 88 constellations are distinguished in the starry sky. Our ancestors knew no more than 50.

The constellations were called differently, associating them with the names of objects (Libra, Southern Cross, Triangle). The luminaries were given the names of the heroes of Greek myths (Andromeda, Perseus Cassiopeia), the Stars were named after real or non-existent animals (Leo, Dragon, Ursa Major and Ursa Minor). In ancient times, people fully showed their imagination, approaching the issue of naming celestial bodies thoroughly. And there is nothing strange in the fact that the names have not changed to this day.

Stars in the Bucket Cluster

The constellation Ursa Major and Ursa Minor in the starry sky are rightfully considered the most famous and recognizable of the cluster of stars. As we know from childhood, the stars of the Big Dipper make up a bucket in the sky - luminaries of a recognizable shape and with a well-established name. Such a cluster of nocturnal, celestial bodies rightfully has the third place in terms of its size. In the first positions are such constellations as Virgo and Hydra. In total, there are 125 stars in the Big Dipper. All of them can be seen with the naked eye. The bucket forms seven of the brightest stars. Each of them has its own name.

Let's turn our attention to the constellation Ursa Major. The world of space without it is already impossible to imagine. The stars in this cluster include:

1. Dubhe means "bear" in translation. This is the brightest star in Ursa Major.
2. Merak is the second brightest star. It translates as "loin".
3. Fekda - in translation means "thigh".
4. Megrets - translated as "the beginning of the tail."
5. Aliot - in translation means "fat tail".
6. Mizar - translates as "loincloth".
7. Benetnash - literally translated as "the leader of the mourners."

This is only a part of the stars that make up the famous cluster.

The movement of the constellation in the sky

Finding the constellation Ursa Major and Ursa Minor in the sky is quite easy. It is best seen in March and April. On crisp spring nights, we can spot the Big Dipper right overhead. The luminaries are high in the sky. However, after the first half of April, the cluster of celestial bodies retreats to the west. During the summer months, the constellation moves slowly to the northwest. And at the end of August you can see the bucket very low in the north. It will remain there until the winter. During the winter period, Ursa Major will again rise above the horizon, starting anew its movement from north to northeast.

Change depending on the time of day

Concentrate on how the location of the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor changes throughout the day. For example, in February, at night, we see a bucket with the handle down, located in the northeast, and in the morning the constellation will move to the northwest. The handle will swing up.

Interestingly, the five stars inside the bucket form one group and move separately from the other two stars. Dubhe and Benetnash are slowly leaving in the opposite direction from the other five luminaries. It follows that in the near future the bucket will take on a completely different look. But we will not see this, since a significant change will become noticeable in about a hundred thousand years.

The secret of the stars Mizar and Alcor

In the cluster of luminaries Ursa Major there is a fascinating star couple - Mizar and Alcor. Why is she interesting? In ancient times, these two stars were used to test the sharpness of human vision. Mizar is a medium-sized star, in the bucket of Ursa Major. Next to it is the barely visible star Alcor. A person with good eyesight will see these two stars without any problems, and vice versa, a person with poor eyesight will not distinguish two stars in the sky. They will appear to him as one bright point in the sky. But these two stars are fraught with a couple of amazing mysteries.

The naked eye does not see the features inherent in them. If you point the telescope at Mizar, you can see two stars instead of one. They were conditionally designated Mizar A and Mizar B. But that's not all. When it turned out that Mizar A consists of two stars, and Mizar B - of three. Unfortunately, these night luminaries are so far from the earth that no optical devices are able to reach them in order to fully reveal the secret.

Stars from the Ursa Minor Cluster

Two stars in the wall of the bucket are also called Pointers. Merak and Dubhe got this name because, having drawn a straight line through them, we rest against the polar star from the constellation Ursa Minor. This cluster of night luminaries is also called circumpolar. The list of stars in the constellation Ursa Minor includes 25 names. They can be seen with the naked eye. It is necessary to single out those that are popular. In addition, they are the brightest.

Star Kokhab. In the period from 3000 BC to 600 AD, this luminary, which includes the constellation Ursa Minor, acted as a guide for sailors. The polar star indicates the direction of the North Pole. Ferkad and Yildun are also well-known luminaries of the cluster.

For a long time there was no common name

The constellation Ursa Minor is shaped like a bucket - almost like the Big Dipper. The Phoenicians, one of the best navigators of ancient times, used a similar cluster of stars for navigational purposes. But the Greek sailors were more guided by the Big Dipper. The Arabs saw a rider in Ursa Minor, the Indians - a monkey that clings to the center of the world with its tail and circles around it. As you can see, there was no generally accepted meaning and name for a long time, and each nationality saw something of its own in the starry sky, close and easily explained. What else can the constellation Ursa Major tell about itself?

Constellation legends. Star of Dubhe

There are a huge number of legends and tales about the cluster of luminaries Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.

The following belief goes about the brightest star Dubhe from the constellation Ursa Major. The daughter of King Lycaon, the beautiful Callisto was one of the huntresses of the goddess Artemis. The almighty Zeus fell in love with Callisto, and she gave birth to the boy Arkas. For this, the jealous wife of Zeus, Hera, turned Callisto into a bear. When Arkas grew up and became a hunter, he attacked and was already preparing to hit the beast with an arrow. Zeus, seeing what was happening, did not allow the murder. It was he who turned Arkas into a smaller bear. The ruler of heaven placed them in the sky so that mother and son would always remain together.

The legend of a small cluster of stars

There is a legend of the constellation Ursa Minor. It looks like this. Saving his son Zeus from his father the Greek god Kronos, who was famous for devouring his children, his wife Rhea stole a small child and took it to the caves. In addition to the goat, the baby was fed by two nymphs - Melissa and Helis. For this they were awarded. Zeus, when he became the ruler of the heavens, turned them into bears and placed them in the sky.

The legend of the appearance of the constellation according to storytellers from Greenland

In distant Greenland there is also a legend in which the constellation Ursa Major appears. The mythology and history of this cluster is quite popular. But one story has gained the greatest popularity among the Eskimos, about which absolutely everyone tells. It was even suggested that this legend is not fiction, but the purest truth. In a snowy house, on the very edge of Greenland, lived the great hunter Eriulok. He lived in a hut alone, as he was arrogant, considering himself the best in his field. Therefore, he did not want to communicate with his other compatriots. For many years in a row he went to sea and always returned with rich booty. There was always a lot of food in his house, and the walls of his dwelling were decorated with the best skins of walruses, seals and seals. Eriulok was rich, well-fed, but lonely. And loneliness over time began to burden the great hunter. He tried to make friends with his fellow Eskimos, but they did not want to deal with an arrogant relative. Apparently, he offended them greatly at the time.

In desperation, Eriulok went to the Arctic Ocean and called the mistress of the sea depths, the goddess Arnarkuachssak. He told her about himself and his trouble. The goddess promised to help, but in return, Eriulok had to bring her a ladle with magical berries that would restore youth to the goddess. The hunter agreed and went to a distant island, found a cave guarded by a bear. After much torment, he put the forest animal to sleep and stole a ladle of berries. The goddess did not deceive the hunter and gave him a wife, and in return received magical berries. After all the adventures, Eriulok got married and became the father of a large family, to the envy of all the neighbors in the area. As for the goddess, she ate all the berries, rejuvenated by a couple of hundred centuries, and joyfully threw an empty bucket into the sky, where he, clinging to something, remained hanging.

A touching story of good and evil

There is another extraordinarily touching legend in which the constellation Ursa Major and Ursa Minor are affected. In the distant, distant times, among the hills and ravines, there was an ordinary village. A large family lived in this settlement, and their daughter Aina grew up in it. There was no one kinder than this girl in the district. One morning, on the road leading to the village, a dark cart appeared. Black horses were in harness. A man was sitting on the cart, and his clothes were dark in color. He smiled broadly, had fun and sometimes laughed. On the cart was a dark cage, in which, chained, was a white bear cub. Huge tears rolled from the eyes of the animal. Many villagers began to resent: isn't it a shame for such a big dark man to keep a small white bear cub on a chain, torturing and mocking him. Although people were indignant, the matter did not go beyond words.

And only when the cart came up to the house where Aina lived, the kind girl stopped her. Aina asked to let the bear cub go. The stranger laughed and said that he would let go if someone would give the bear cub their eyes. None of the residents even thought to do this, except for Aina. The black man agreed to let the bear cub go in exchange for the girl's eyes. And Aina lost her sight. The polar bear came out of the cage and the tears from his eyes stopped flowing. The cart, along with the horses and the black man, melted into the air, and the white bear cub remained in its place. He approached Aina, who was crying, gave her a rope tied to his collar, and led the girl through the fields and meadows. The villagers watching them saw how the white bear cub turns into the Big Dipper, and Aina turns into a small white bear cub, and together they go into the sky. Since that time, people see them walking together in the sky. They are always in the sky and remind people of good and evil. This instructive legend is famous for the constellation Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.

Due to progress, the halo of mystery has disappeared

Both in ancient times and at the present time, the constellations help us navigate in space. Travelers and sailors can tell the time by the brightness and location of the constellations, find the direction of movement, etc. Now we rarely sit by the fire, less often look at the mysterious star-studded sky, and we no longer compose legends about Ursa Major and Minor, Cassiopeia, Hounds of the Dogs. Few people can immediately show the constellation Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. We know from the lessons of astronomy that the stars are very far away, and this is in most of the planet, similar to our Sun.

The development of optical telescopes led to a number of discoveries that our ancestors did not know anything about. What can I say, a man was even able to visit the moon, take samples and successfully return back. Science has blown away that veil of obscurity and mystery, which for many centuries covered the heavenly bodies. And all the same, we furtively look into the sky, looking for this or that constellation, and we see in them not cold stars, but a white Bear cub or a formidable Lion, or Cancer, crawling across the heavenly surface. Therefore, many people like to admire the night sky clear of clouds, on which a variety of luminaries, their combinations with each other and clusters are clearly visible.

Conclusion

In this review, the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor were considered. It is easy to find them in the sky. And, most likely, everyone at one time tried to do this. And some even now, looking at the sky at night, are trying to determine the location of the bucket.

We hope that this review told you a lot about this well-known cluster: what the constellation Ursa Major and Ursa Minor looks like, what stars are included in it, what legends it is characterized by, etc.

Even people who are far from astronomy know how to find the Big Dipper bucket in the sky. Due to its proximity to the north pole of the world, in the middle latitudes of our country, Ursa Major is a non-setting constellation, so it can be found in the sky at any time from dusk to dawn throughout the year. However, the position of the bucket relative to the horizon during the day, as well as during the year, changes. For example, on short summer nights, the Big Dipper bucket slowly lowers from west to northwest, while the handle of the bucket is turned up. And on dark August nights, seven bright bucket stars can be found very low in the north. In autumn, the ladle begins to rise above the northeastern horizon closer to dawn, and its handle seems to indicate the point of sunrise. In the early December evenings, Ursa Major is visible low in the north, but during the long winter night it manages to rise high above the horizon by morning and can be found almost overhead. At the end of the calendar winter, with the onset of darkness, the Big Dipper bucket is visible in the northeast with the handle down, and by morning it shifts to the northwest, with the handle up. It is quite logical that due to such great recognition and favorable visibility on any clear evening (or night), the Big Dipper bucket becomes the starting point for searching for other constellations, including Ursa Minor with perhaps the most famous star in the northern hemisphere - Polaris. Despite its fame, few people who are not familiar with the mysteries of the starry sky have seen this star with their own eyes. So, in terms of brilliance, it is similar to the stars of the Big Dipper bucket, but all the other stars of the Little Dipper bucket, with the exception of one more - in the southern part of the constellation - are much weaker and may not be visible in the brightly illuminated city sky. Therefore, to get acquainted with the starry sky, it is better to choose an observation site outside of large metropolitan areas, or in a forested area.

So, let's start our acquaintance with the starry sky. Today we will get acquainted with the four constellations of the northern sky: Ursa Major, Ursa Minor (with the famous North Star), Draco and Cassiopeia. All these constellations, due to their proximity to the North Pole of the World in the European territory of the former USSR, are non-setting. Those. they can be found in the starry sky on any day and at any time. The first steps should begin with the bucket of the Big Dipper known to everyone. Did you find it in the sky? If not, then to search for it, remember that on summer evenings the ladle is in the northwest, in autumn - in the north, in winter - in the northeast, in spring - directly overhead. Now pay attention to the two extreme stars of this bucket (see. Fig.). If you mentally draw a straight line through these two stars, then the first star, the brightness of which is comparable to the brightness of the stars of the Ursa Major bucket, will be the Polar Star, belonging to the constellation Ursa Minor. Using the map shown in the figure, try to find the rest of the stars in this constellation. If you observe in urban conditions, then it will be difficult to make out the stars of the "small bucket" (namely, as the constellation Ursa Minor is unofficially called): they are not as bright as the stars of the "big bucket", i.e. Big Dipper. To do this, it is better to have binoculars on hand. When you see the constellation Ursa Minor, you can try to find the constellation Cassiopeia. I don’t know about you, but for me it was initially associated with another “bucket”. Rather, it is even a "coffee pot". So, look at the second from the end star of the Big Dipper bucket handle. This is the star next to which an asterisk is barely visible to the naked eye. The bright star is named Mizar, and the one next to it is Alkor (here is the model range of iconic Soviet telescopes for astronomy lovers, produced by the Novosibirsk Instrument-Making Plant (NPZ)). They say that if translated from Arabic, then Mizar is a horse, and Alcor is a rider.
So, Mizar is found. Now draw a mental line from Mizar through the North Star and then about the same distance. And you will surely see a rather bright constellation in the form of the Latin letter W (see picture). This is Cassiopeia. Still, something like a "coffee pot", isn't it?
After Cassiopeia, we try to find the constellation Draco. As can be seen from the figure at the top of the page, it seems to extend between the buckets of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, moving further towards Cepheus, Lyra, Hercules and Cygnus. We will talk about these constellations a little later, and, having gained basic experience in orienting in the starry sky, try using the above drawing to find the constellation Draco in full.

Now you should be able to find the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia, Draco in the sky. Repeating observations of these constellations every clear evening, you will begin to distinguish them very quickly and without much difficulty from the rest of the starry sky, and the task of finding other constellations will seem to you no longer such a difficult task!

For those novice observers who intend to continue studying the treasures of the starry sky even after all the constellations have been mastered, at the first stages of observing the constellations, we recommend that you acquire observation log, in which it is necessary to enter the date and time of observations, as well as sketch the position of the constellations relative to the horizon. Also try to reproduce as accurately as possible a picture of the location of the bright stars of the constellations relative to each other on the celestial sphere, and also try to put even the faintest stars on such homemade "star maps". When you master the alphabet of the starry sky and pick up a telescope (or binoculars) to observe other objects in the starry sky, these sketching skills will be very useful to you. And just flipping through an old observation log is always nice. After all, how many pleasant memories come to life in the memory!

Questions for the first task:
1. In what region of the sky was the constellation Cassiopeia during your observations?
2. In what area of ​​the sky was the bucket of the Big Dipper?
3. Could you see Alcor with the naked eye?
4. Keep an observation journal (for example, in the form of a regular common notebook), in which note the position of the constellations familiar to you from the first assignment above the horizon in the evening, at night and in the morning. Thus, you can see with your own eyes the daily rotation of the celestial sphere. Try to reproduce the appearance of the constellations in your journals as accurately as possible, and draw even the faintest stars. Don't limit yourself to familiar constellations. Draw also those parts of the starry sky that are not yet familiar to you.

There are quite a few different constellations. Some of them are known to all. Only a small part of people know about others. But there is a cluster of night luminaries, which is completely understandable to everyone. This article will look at how Ursa Major and Malaya are located. Constellations are characterized by a huge number of legends. And some of them will also be told. We should also talk about the most recognizable and bright luminaries that can be seen in this rather popular cluster.

Starry sky, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Andromeda, Southern Cross… What could be more beautiful and majestic? Millions of stars shine and sparkle, luring inquiring minds to themselves. Man has always found his place in the Universe, wondering how the world works, where his place is in it, whether he was created by the gods or he himself is a divine entity. Sitting by the fire at night and looking into the distant sky, people learned one simple truth - the stars are not ugly scattered across the sky. They have their legal place.

Every night the stars remained the same, in the same place. Today, any adult knows that the stars are located at different distances from the earth. But, looking at the sky, we cannot tell which luminaries are located further and which are closer. Our ancestors could distinguish them only by the brightness of the glow. They singled out a small fraction of the brightest luminaries, formed a group of stars into characteristic figures, calling them constellations. In modern astrology, 88 constellations are distinguished in the starry sky. Our ancestors knew no more than 50.

The constellations were called differently, associating them with the names of objects (Libra, Southern Cross, Triangle). The luminaries were given the names of the heroes of Greek myths (Andromeda, Perseus Cassiopeia), the Stars were named after real or non-existent animals (Leo, Dragon, Ursa Major and Ursa Minor). In ancient times, people fully showed their imagination, approaching the issue of naming celestial bodies thoroughly. And there is nothing strange in the fact that the names have not changed to this day.

Stars in the Bucket Cluster

The constellation Ursa Major and Ursa Minor in the starry sky are rightfully considered the most famous and recognizable of the clusters of stars in the northern hemisphere. As we know from youth, the stars of the Big Dipper make up a bucket in the sky - the luminaries of a recognizable shape and with a well-established name. Such a cluster of nocturnal, celestial bodies rightfully has the third place in terms of its size. In the first positions are such constellations as Virgo and Hydra. In total, there are 125 stars in the Big Dipper. All of them can be seen with the naked eye. The bucket forms seven of the brightest stars. Each of them has its own name.

Let's turn our attention to the constellation Ursa Major. The world of space without it is already impossible to imagine. The stars in this cluster include:

Dubhe means "bear" in translation. This is the brightest star in Ursa Major. Merak is the second brightest star. It translates as "loin". Fekda - in translation means "thigh". Megrets - translates as "the beginning of the tail." Aliot means "fat tail" in translation. Mizar - translates as "loincloth". Benetnash - literally translated as "the leader of the mourners."

This is only a part of the stars that make up the known cluster.

The movement of the constellation in the sky

Finding the constellation Ursa Major and Ursa Minor in the sky is quite simple. It is best seen in March and April. On fresh spring nights, we can find the Huge Bear directly overhead. The luminaries are high in the sky. However, after the first half of April, the cluster of celestial bodies retreats to the west. During the summer months, the constellation moves slowly to the northwest. And at the end of August you can see the bucket very low in the north. It will remain there until the winter. During the winter period, Ursa Major will again rise above the horizon, starting anew its movement from north to northeast.

Changing the position of the stars depending on the time of day

Concentrate on how the location of the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor changes throughout the day. For example, in February, at night, we see a bucket handle down, located in the northeast, and in the morning the constellation will move to the northwest. The handle will swing up.

It is curious that the five stars inside the bucket form one group and move separately from the other two stars. Dubhe and Benetnash are slowly leaving in the opposite direction from the other five luminaries. It follows that in the near future the bucket will take on a completely different look. But we will not see this, since a significant change will become noticeable in about a hundred thousand years.

The secret of the stars Mizar and Alcor

In the cluster of luminaries Ursa Major there is a fascinating star couple - Mizar and Alcor. Why is she fascinating? In ancient times, these two stars were used to test the sharpness of human vision. Mizar is a medium-sized star, in the bucket of Ursa Major. Next to it is the barely distinguishable star Alcor. A person with good eyesight will see these two stars without any problems, and vice versa, a person with poor eyesight will not distinguish 2 luminaries in the sky. They will appear to him as one bright point in the sky. But these two stars are fraught with a couple more amazing mysteries.

The naked eye does not see the features inherent in them. If you point a telescope at Mizar, you can see two stars instead of one. They were conditionally designated Mizar A and Mizar B. But that's not all. Spectral analysis revealed that Mizar A consists of 2 stars, and Mizar B consists of three. Unfortunately, these night luminaries are so far from the earth that no optical devices are able to reach them in order to fully reveal the secret.

Stars from the Ursa Minor Cluster

Two stars in the wall of the bucket are also called Pointers. Merak and Dubhe got this name because, having drawn a straight line through them, we rest against the polar star from the constellation Ursa Minor. This cluster of night luminaries is also called circumpolar. The list of stars in the constellation Ursa Minor contains 25 names. They can be seen with the naked eye. It is necessary to single out those that are popular. In addition, they are the brightest.

Star Kokhab. In the period from 3000 BC to 600 AD, this star, which contains the constellation Ursa Minor, acted as a guide for sailors. The polar star indicates the direction of the North Pole. Ferkad and Yildun are also well-known luminaries of the cluster.

For a very long time there was no common name

The constellation Ursa Minor is shaped like a bucket - almost like the Big Dipper. The Phoenicians, one of the best navigators of ancient times, used a similar cluster of stars for navigational purposes. But the Greek sailors were more guided by the Big Dipper. The Arabs saw a rider in Ursa Minor, the Redskins saw a monkey that clings to the center of the world with its tail and circles around it. As we see, there was no generally accepted meaning and name for a long time, and any nationality saw something of its own in the starry sky, close and easily explained. What else can the constellation Ursa Major tell about itself?

Constellation legends. Star of Dubhe

There are a huge number of legends and tales about the cluster of luminaries Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.

The following belief goes about the brightest star Dubhe from the constellation Ursa Major. The daughter of King Lycaon, the beautiful Callisto was one of the huntresses of the goddess Artemis. The all-powerful Zeus fell in love with Callisto, and she gave birth to a boy, Arkas. For this, the jealous wife of Zeus Hera turned Callisto into a bear. When Arkas grew up and became a hunter, he attacked the trail of a bear and was already preparing to hit the animal with an arrow. Zeus, seeing what was happening, did not allow the murder. Specifically, he turned Arkas into a smaller bear. The ruler of heaven placed them in the firmament so that mother and son would always remain together.

The legend of a small cluster of stars

There is a legend of the constellation Ursa Minor. It looks like this. Rescuing her son Zeus from his father, the Greek god Kronos, who was famous for devouring his babies, his wife Rhea stole a small child and took it to the caves. In addition to the goat, the baby was fed by two nymphs - Melissa and Helis. For this they were awarded. Zeus, when he became the ruler of the heavens, turned them into bears and placed them in the sky.

The legend of the appearance of the constellation according to storytellers from Greenland

In distant Greenland there is also a legend in which the constellation Ursa Major appears. The mythology and history of this cluster is quite popular. But one story has gained the greatest popularity among the Eskimos, which is told in full by everyone. It has even been suggested that this legend is not fiction, but the purest truth. In a snowy house, on the very edge of Greenland, lived the majestic hunter Eriulok. He lived in a hut alone, as he was arrogant, considering himself the best in his field. Therefore, he did not want to communicate with his other compatriots. For many years in a row he went to sea and always returned with rich booty. In his house there was always a lot of food, seal oil, and the walls of his dwelling were decorated with the best skins of walruses, seals and seals. Eriulok was rich, well-fed, but lonely. And loneliness eventually began to burden the majestic hunter. He tried to make friends with his fellow Eskimos, but they did not want to deal with an arrogant relative. Apparently, he offended them greatly at the time.

In desperation, Eriulok went to the Arctic Ocean and called the mistress of the sea depths, the goddess Arnarkuachssak. He told her about himself and his failure. The goddess promised to help, but in return, Eriulok had to bring her a ladle with magical berries that would restore youth to the goddess. The hunter agreed and went to a distant island, found a cave guarded by a bear. After a long torment, he put the forest animal to sleep and stole a ladle of berries. The goddess did not deceive the hunter and gave him a wife, and in return received wonderful berries. After all the adventures, Eriulok got married and became the father of a huge family, to the envy of all the neighbors in the area. As for the goddess, she ate all the berries, rejuvenated by a couple of hundred centuries, and joyfully threw an empty bucket into the sky, where he, clinging to something, remained hanging.

A touching story of good and evil

There is also one extraordinarily touching legend in which the constellation Ursa Major and Ursa Minor are affected. In the distant, distant times, among the hills and ravines, there was an ordinary village. A large family lived in this settlement, and their daughter Aina grew up in it. There was no one kinder than this girl in the district. One morning, on the road leading to the village, a dark cart appeared. Black horses were in harness. A man was sitting on the cart, and his clothes were dark in color. He smiled broadly, had fun and laughed from time to time. There was a dark cage on the cart, in which, chained, there was a snow-white bear cub. Big tears rolled down from the animal's eyes. Many inhabitants of the village began to resent: isn't it a shame for such a big dark man to keep a small snow-white bear cub on a chain, torturing and mocking him. Although people were indignant, the matter did not go further than words.

And only when the cart came up to the house where Aina lived, the good girl stopped her. Aina asked to let the bear cub go. The stranger laughed and said that he would let go if someone would give the bear cub their eyes. None of the inhabitants thought to do this, except for Aina. The black man agreed to let the bear cub go in exchange for the girl's eyes. And Aina lost her sight. The snow-white bear cub came out of the cell and the tears from his eyes stopped flowing. The cart, together with the horses and the black man, melted into the air, and the snow-white bear cub remained in its place. He approached Aina, who was crying, gave her the rope tied to his collar, and led the girl through the fields and meadows. The inhabitants of the village, watching them, saw how the snow-white bear cub turns into a Huge Bear, and Aina turns into a small snow-white bear cub, and together they go into the sky. Since that time, people have seen them walking together across the firmament. They are always in the sky and remind people of good and evil. This instructive legend is famous for the constellation Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.

Due to progress, the halo of mystery has disappeared

Both in ancient times and at the present time, the constellations help us navigate in space. Travelers and sailors can tell the time by the brightness and location of the constellations, find the direction of movement, etc. Now we rarely sit by the fire, less often look at the mysterious star-studded sky, and we no longer compose legends about Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia, Hounds. Few people can immediately show the constellation Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. We know from the lessons of astronomy that the stars are very far away, and this is in most of the planet, similar to our Sun.

The development of optical telescopes led to a number of discoveries about which our ancestors did not understand anything. What can I say, a man was even able to visit the moon, take samples of lunar soil and successfully return back. Science has blown away that veil of obscurity and mystery, which for many centuries covered the heavenly bodies. And all the same, we stealthily look into the sky, looking for one or another constellation, and we see in them not cold stars, but a snow-white Bear cub or a stern Leo or Cancer crawling across the heavenly surface. Therefore, many people like to admire the night sky clear of clouds, on which a variety of luminaries, their combinations together and clusters are clearly visible.

Conclusion

In this review, the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor were considered. It is easy to find them in the sky. And, most likely, everyone at one time tried to do this. And some even now, looking at the sky at night, are trying to determine the location of the bucket.

We hope that this review told you a lot about this well-known cluster: how the constellation Ursa Major and Ursa Minor looks, what stars are included in it, what legends it is characterized by, etc.

Constellation Ursa Minor. Asterism Small Dipper is the most distinctive detail of this circumpolar constellation. The end of the bucket handle is marked by the North Star (left). Near the North Star is the north celestial pole. On the right, we see two other bright stars, the orange star Kokhab and the white Ferkad, which mark the edge of the bucket (right). A photo: Rogelio Bernal Andreo

Clear nights present before us the eternal picture of the starry sky. It is certainly difficult for city dwellers to enjoy this spectacle to the fullest, but in the past, when there were few cities, people paid much more attention to the sky - for quite practical reasons.

Our distant ancestors considered the stars to be fixed. Indeed, despite the fact that the entire picture of the starry sky continuously rotates (reflecting the rotation of the Earth), the relative position of the stars on it remains unchanged for centuries. Therefore, the stars have been used since time immemorial to determine the location on earth and count time. For ease of orientation, people divided the sky into constellations - areas with easily recognizable star patterns.

The names of many constellations have been preserved since ancient times: Lyra and Cassiopeia, Ursa Major and Bootes are already mentioned in the works of Homer (7th century BC), who, by the way, believed that Zeus created the stars solely to help sailors. Almost as old is constellation Ursa Minor.

Ursa Minor has played an important role in astronomy for many centuries. This constellation is remarkable not at all by bright stars or a noticeable pattern, but by the fact that it indicates the direction to the north.

The constellations Ursa Major (bottom) and Ursa Minor (top) under ideal atmospheric conditions. Please note: unlike the handle of the Big Bucket, the handle of the Small Bucket is curved in the opposite direction. Picture: Stellarium

As you know, the geographic north pole is the place where the imaginary axis of rotation of the Earth intersects its surface in the northern hemisphere (respectively, in the southern hemisphere, the south pole will be such a point). If the Earth's axis of rotation is extended to infinity, then it will point to the north and south poles of the celestial sphere, to which, as ancient astronomers believed, the stars and the Milky Way are attached. The entire celestial sphere rotates around the point of the north pole with a period of a day, but the pole itself remains stationary.

Sailors of the past knew that the celestial pole is stationary, and its height depends only on the latitude of the location. In this case, the perpendicular, lowered from the celestial pole to the horizon, indicates the direction to the north.

The constellation Ursa Minor is remarkable in that it is in it that the north pole of the world is located, near the famous Polar Star. But it was not always so. Because of the precession in the time of Homer, the closest to the north celestial pole was the star Kochab or β Ursa Minor. And even earlier, more than 4000 years ago, the function of the polar star was Tuban or α Draco. It turns out that the pole of the world is still not motionless, but wandering around the sky! True, its movement is so slow that for practical purposes it can be neglected.

By the way, the term "north pole" itself came into use about 500 years ago, before that the pole was called arctic, from the Greek word "arktos"(αρκτοζ) - a bear! For the ancients, the Arctic was the territory lying under the constellations of the bears.

Constellation origin

Ursa Minor is one of the oldest constellations, and therefore it is rather difficult to understand its “pedigree”. Although Homer only mentions in his works, Malaya appeared, probably already at the end of the 7th century BC. Here is what Strabo wrote about this in his Geography, which appeared two thousand years ago: “Probably, in the era of Homer, another Ursa was not yet considered a constellation and this group of stars was not known to the Greeks as such, until the Phoenicians noted it and became to use for navigation "...

Probably, people identified Ursa Minor as a separate constellation after it began to be closer than other star figures to the north pole of the world. It was much more convenient to navigate along Ursa Minor than other constellations (before that, sailors determined the direction to the north using the bucket of the neighboring Ursa Major). Probably around 600 BC, the famous philosopher of antiquity, Thales of Miletus, followed the example of the Phoenicians and introduced Ursa Minor into Greek astronomy, forming a constellation from the wings of the mythical Dragon, located in the sky nearby.

How to find Ursa Minor?

To learn how to find this small constellation in the sky, you need to know what Ursa Minor looks like. This constellation has only three more or less bright stars, so a certain skill is required to identify it.

The main and most noticeable detail of Ursa Minor is asterism Small Bucket, which, however, is far from being as noticeable as the bucket of the Big Dipper. You can determine Ursa Minor by first finding the North Star (aka α Ursa Minor). To do this, find the Big Dipper. In autumn and winter, the Big Dipper bucket is visible in the north low above the horizon, in spring evenings - in the east in a vertical position with the handle down, and in summer - in the west with the handle up. Then, through the extreme stars in the Big Dipper - α and β Ursa Major - you need to draw a long, slightly curved line. The North Star is approximately five times the distance between the stars α and β Ursa Major. In brightness, it is approximately equal to these stars. The North Star marks the end of the handle of the Small Dipper; the bucket itself stretches from it towards the bucket of the Big Dipper. Unlike the Big Bucket, its handle is curved in the opposite direction.

The constellation Ursa Minor is easiest to find, starting from its brightest star - Polaris. It should be searched for on the continuation of the line connecting the extreme stars of the Big Dipper - Dubhe and Merak (see text). Picture: Stellarium

The composition of the Small Dipper, as well as the composition of the Big, includes 7 stars. However, unlike the stars of the latter, the stars of the Small Dipper vary greatly in brightness. Only three of its brightest stars - α, β and γ - can be easily found in the overexposed urban sky. But 4 other stars of the Small Dipper are much dimmer and are not always visible in the city. This is probably why inexperienced astronomers often misrecognize the Small Dipper, managing to mistake even a tiny Pleiades bucket for it. Nevertheless, having seen the Small Dipper at least once, you are unlikely to ever lose it, because this figure is always, at any time of the year and day, located approximately in the same part of the sky.

In conditions of urban illumination, it is difficult to identify Ursa Minor. In the red sky, four of the seven stars of the Small Dipper are not visible. Only the North Star (above) and the Guardians of the Pole, the stars Kochab and Ferkad remain. Picture: Stellarium

The legend of the constellation Ursa Minor

Ursa Major and Ursa Minor are connected not only by the neighborhood in the sky, but also by myths and legends, which the ancient Greeks were great masters of writing.

The main role in stories with bears was usually given to Callisto, daughter of Lycaon, king of Arcadia. According to one of the legends, her beauty was so extraordinary that she attracted the attention of the almighty Zeus. Having assumed the guise of the hunting goddess Artemis, in whose retinue Callisto was, Zeus penetrated the maiden, after which her son Arkad was born. Upon learning of this, the jealous wife of Zeus Hera immediately turned Callisto into a bear. Time has passed. Arkad grew up and became a wonderful young man. Once, while hunting a wild animal, he attacked the trail of a bear. Suspecting nothing, he already intended to hit the animal with an arrow, but Zeus did not allow the murder: turning his son also into a bear, he transferred both to heaven. This act infuriated Hera; having met with her brother Poseidon (god of the seas), the goddess begged him not to let the couple into her kingdom. That is why Ursa Major and Ursa Minor in the middle and northern latitudes never go beyond the horizon.

Another legend is connected with the birth of Zeus. His father was the god Kronos, who, as you know, had a habit of devouring his own children. To protect the baby, the wife of Kronos, the goddess Rhea, hid Zeus in a cave, where he was fed by two bears - Melissa and Helis, who were later ascended to heaven.

In general, for the ancient Greeks, the bear was an exotic and rare animal. Perhaps that is why both she-bears in the sky have long curved tails, which in reality are not found in bears. Some, however, explain their occurrence by the unceremoniousness of Zeus, who pulled the bears into the sky by their tails. But the tails can have a completely different origin: among the same Greeks, the constellation Ursa Minor had an alternative name - Kinosura (from the Greek Κυνόσουρις), which translates as "Dog's Tail".

Big and Small Buckets were often called "chariots" or Big and Small Carts (not only in Greece, but also in Russia). Indeed, with due imagination, one can see carts with harness in the ladles of these constellations.

Stars of Ursa Minor

Ursa Minor is a small constellation (its area is 255.9 square degrees), so the naked eye will notice only 25 stars in it, and even then only under ideal conditions.

Constellation Ursa Minor. Picture: IAU/Greater Universe

Of the bright stars, three are worth noting - α, β and γ.

(aka α Ursa Minor) is the brightest star in the constellation. In brilliance, Polaris is comparable to the stars of the Ursa Major bucket; in the list of the brightest stars in the sky, it takes only 48th place. As you can see, Polaris is far from the brightest star in the sky, as some people far from astronomy believe. The common knowledge of α Ursa Minor is solely due to its proximity to the celestial pole. At present, Polaris is at a distance of less than 1° from this point, and therefore is practically motionless in the sky. This is the very “nail” in the sky, around which, as if on a leash, all the other stars walk.

The position of Ursa Minor in the sky in the evening depending on the season. Picture: Big Universe

Polaris is over 400 light-years away from us. According to its physical characteristics, the Polar belongs to the giant stars - its mass is 6 times, the radius is 30, and the luminosity is 2400 times greater than the sun. In addition, Polaris is somewhat hotter than the Sun; the temperature on its surface is 7000 K. Polaris has two satellite stars, one of them - a dim star 9 m - can already be seen in amateur telescopes, while the other is so close to Polaris that only Hubble "sees" it.

Kohab, or β Ursa Minor, is almost equal in brightness to the Polar. This is one of the two extreme stars in the Small Dipper. Kokhab has a pronounced orange color; this star belongs to the spectral class K. It is colder than the Sun, but its size is more than 40 times larger than our daylight! Is it necessary to say that the luminosity of the giant is many times greater than the solar one?

The third star, γ Ursa Minor, is also a giant star. It is hotter than both Polar and Kokhaba, but significantly inferior to both in brilliance, as it is further away - at a distance of about 500 light years from Earth. She also has her own name - Ferkad. Kokhab and Ferkad, β and γ Ursa Minor together form the asterism of the Guards of the Pole.

The coordinates, as well as some physical characteristics of these three stars, we present in the table below. The luminosity of stars is expressed in solar units, the distance is given in light years.

And for those who have already read, Eratosthenes tells the following amusing version of the transformation of the Artemis confidante into a bear, and then into a constellation. First, he calls her Date, not Callisto. It was Dates that Zeus treacherously took possession of, and Artemis rashly turned her into a bear. Zeus placed the Big Dipper in the sky in memory of an unfortunate misunderstanding. Eratosthenes also adds that when Artemis found out about the innocence of Dates, she placed the second image of the bear - Ursa Minor - opposite the first. Probably the first one would not be boring.

Another version

Perhaps this is one of the nurses of Zeus - the ideological nymph of Crete (that is, the nymph of Mount Ida), and according to the early versions of the myth - the natural bear - Kinosura (or, according to other versions, Melissa.).

Kinosura
Generally, Kinosura- another Greek name for Ursa Minor, meaning dog tail. They called Ursa Minor and the Dog Callisto, and Voz, whose driver was Bootes.