Constellation Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. Task one. We are looking for Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia and the Dragon. How to find Ursa Minor

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, this is how 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 called Mizar, and the one next to it is Alkor (here is the lineup 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 a journal of observations (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.

And for those who have already read, Eratosthenes tells the following funny 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.

Ursa Minor is a circumpolar constellation located in the northern hemisphere. It contains almost forty stars that can be seen with the naked eye. At present, the North Pole of the World is located in Ursa Minor at a distance of less than 1 ° from the North Star. Ursa Minor consists of seven stars, better known as the "Little Dipper". The most extreme star in the "handle" of the Bucket is the North Star (alpha Ursa Minor with magnitude 2.0). The next brightest star is Kokhab (beta Ursa Minor with magnitude 2.1. In the period from about 2000 BC to 500 AD, Kokhab was a polar star, translated from Arabic Kokhab-zl-Shemali - “ Star of the North"

Ferkad (the scale of Ursa Minor) has a magnitude of 3.1 ”and together with (this Ursa Minor) makes up a pair, which is called the “guardians of the pole”, since they “walk” around the Polar, as if guarding it. Near the Polaris, at a distance of 18 arc seconds, with a telescope, you can see its satellite, the apparent magnitude of which is 9. The Polaris was known as a Cepheid variable, changing its brightness by 0.3 magnitudes with a period of about 4 days. However, in the 1990s, fluctuations in its brightness suddenly stopped.

Of the deep space objects in Ursa Minor are the spiral galaxies NGC 5832 and NGC 6217.

Spiral galaxy NGC 6217 in the constellation Ursa Minor

The legend of the birth of Zeus is associated with Ursa Minor. The goddess Gaia, saving her son from his father Kron, who ate his children, took Zeus to Crete to Mount Dikta and left it in the care of the nymphs Adrastea and Idea. They fed little Zeus with the milk of the divine goat Amalthea. Later, in gratitude, Zeus raised nymphs to heaven in the form of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.

According to another myth, the son of Zeus and the nymph Callisto, Arkad, was turned into a bear cub - Ursa Minor. Having learned about the secret connection of Zeus, Hera, his wife, decided to take revenge on her rival and turned Callisto into an ugly bear. Arkad grew up and became an excellent hunter and marksman. One day he was wandering through the forest and saw a bear. Not knowing that it was his mother, he pulled the string of his bow and shot at her. Zeus, who vigilantly guarded his beloved Callisto, took the arrow aside, and it flew past. Not wanting Arkad to kill his mother, Zeus turned Arkad into a little bear cub. After that, he raised the bear with the cub to the sky and turned them into constellations: Callisto - into the Big Dipper, Arcada - into the Minor. According to another version of this myth, one of the nymphs, a friend of Callisto, with whom she was very friendly, was turned into a bear cub.

Looking for a constellation in the sky

The constellation is visible at latitudes from -10° to +90°. The best conditions for observations are in late summer, autumn and winter. It is clearly visible throughout Russia throughout the year. Neighboring constellations: Dragon, Giraffe, Cepheus.

Ursa Minor is a well-known constellation, but its search is difficult because only the two outermost stars of the bucket are bright enough to search with the naked eye. Polyarnaya comes to the rescue, which is found with the help of the Big Dipper. In autumn, the latter is located to the right and below the sister.

In winter, Ursa Minor "overturns" and its bucket looks down to the northeastern side of the horizon. Ursa Major at this time is located to the right and above. To the left of Malaya, Cassiopeia is clearly visible, which is located above it.

In the summer at midnight, Ursa Minor takes a position on top of her older sister. On the right, an inseparable couple is clearly visible: above is Cassiopeia, and a little below is Perseus. On the left, at a fairly large distance, are Bootes and the Northern Crown.

Instruction

Focus on the North Star. It must be remembered that Ursa Minor is located high enough above the horizon. Residents of Russia can observe it throughout the year. Surround Ursa Minor Giraffe, Cepheus and Dragon - these are those that have practically no bright stars. And therefore, in search of Ursa Minor, one should focus precisely on the North Star, which is hard not to notice in the sky. By the way, please note: the North Star has a pronounced yellowish color, and this is noticeable even when you look at it with ordinary binoculars. People have been guided by this star since ancient times: once sailors used the Polar Star for navigational purposes.

Look for Ursa Minor in the neighboring constellation Ursa Major. Find two extreme ones in Ursa Major - Merak and Dubhe. Having found these stars, draw a mental line up through them - the length of this line should be about five times greater than the distance between the indicated stars. This "" will pass near the North Star. Next, you need to look down the small bucket with your eyes - and, thus, find the entire constellation.

By the way, it is worth knowing that the constellation Ursa Minor is interesting not only for its appearance. Moreover, a very beautiful ancient Greek legend about the birth of Zeus is connected with him. It is believed that Zeus's mother, Gaia, decided to hide her son from his father Cronus, who ate his children. The goddess carried the newborn to the top of the mountain where the nymphs lived. The mother of the nymphs, Melissa, raised Zeus, and in gratitude he raised her to heaven and made her the most beautiful constellation. There is another version of the legend: the nymph Callisto, beloved of Zeus, and their common son Arkad were turned into Ursa Minor.

Even people who are far from astronomy know very well that in the sky there is the constellation Ursa Major, which has the shape of a bucket. Many have often seen the position of the stars of Ursa Major in photographs and diagrams. And it seems to be a large constellation, seven bright stars, but how difficult it is to find it in the sky at night!

Instruction

First of all, you must clearly understand the constellation that you wish to find among the endless amount of the night sky. Look for all kinds of photographs and charts of the starry sky, in which Ursa Major will be highlighted in some way. Please note that all seven stars of Ursa Major are bright, large and always clearly visible.

During the year, the position of the "bucket" changes in relation to the horizon. You may need a compass to determine which way to look.

On cool spring nights, you can find the Big Dipper right overhead, with the stars high in the sky. But closer to the middle, the "ladle" goes to the west. In summer, the constellation begins to slowly descend to the northwest. And already at the end of August you will be able to see the "ladle" very low in the north, where it will stand until the winter. For three months

Looking up, on cloudless nights it is easy to find a large bucket of the Big Dipper, but the problem of how to find the Little Dipper turns out to be unsolvable for many: its stars are rather dim, and the bright light of street lamps and advertising structures, indoor lighting of residential premises and other light sources , switched on at night in the city, interfere with the natural light environment of nature.

The night sky is poorly visible through the city illumination, so it is best to enjoy the beauty of the stars in an open space where neither buildings nor artificial lighting interfere.

On a full moon, even the light of the moon can interfere, interrupting the modest stars of the desired constellation with its brightness. The ideal place and time for looking at the stars in the sky would be a moonless night in the steppe in a place located in the northern hemisphere of our planet.

Although the constellation Ursa Minor is small and its components are not too bright, its location in the sky near the north celestial pole is remarkable. It consists of 25 stars, large enough to be seen on a clear moonless night without aids.

Its configuration includes the North Star, which is almost exactly located at the north pole of the world and therefore convenient for orientation along the cardinal points. Due to the slow shift of the earth's axis, the situation will change over time and another star will indicate the northern direction, but in the next 1200 years, Ursa Minor can be safely used as a guide by finding the tip of the handle of her ladle.

Despite the 25 stars in this constellation, they recognize it by the seven largest of them, forming a memorable figure in the sky, similar to a bucket, at the end of the handle of which is the polar star. It is visible on Russian territory all year round and is one of the figures that serve as excellent reference points for the initial study of the starry sky.

Small Bucket Search Landmarks

To understand how to find Ursa Minor, you need:

• know what the desired configuration looks like;
• understand that the composition of the small bucket includes only 3 more or less bright stars, and therefore a certain skill is needed;
• know the landmarks next to which the necessary stars are located in the sky.

The easiest way to start your search is with the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor - Polaris.

The reference point here will be the bucket of the Big Dipper. Finding it is not difficult even for a beginner.

And then it all depends on the eye:

1. Find a big bucket: in winter and autumn, it descends to the horizon in the north, in summer they look for it in the west, where it hangs with its handle up, and in spring it is found in the east standing vertically with its handle down.
2. Through the 2 extreme stars that form the side wall of the dipper (a and ß Ursa Major), mentally draw a line and extend it upwards in relation to the bowl of the dipper.
3. Mentally put aside on this line 5 times the distance between a and ß, taken as a basis.
4. In the area calculated in the sky, find a star of approximately the same brightness. This will be Polar, marking the end of the handle of the Ursa Minor bucket. The small bucket itself will stretch towards the Big Dipper, but its handle will bend in the opposite direction.

In the conditions of an urban sky illuminated by extraneous light sources, it is easy to find only three bucket stars, one of which is Polar.

The chance to detect the rest is much less, and sometimes due to excessive ambient illumination, they are not visible at all. Therefore, without sufficient experience, it is difficult to immediately recognize the desired group of stars. But after several trainings, the search will take place without difficulty, especially since the handle of the ladle is attached like a nail in the sky by the North Star to the point around which it, as if on a leash, rotates.

City dwellers have stopped looking at the starry sky, which is hard to see due to the lighting of the streets and surrounding high-rise buildings. But looking at the star dome calms thoughts and emotions.

Focusing on the search for Ursa Minor, you can turn away from the bustle of the work week and think about the beauty of other worlds located so far away that the light from them has not yet reached our planet.