One of the first things I can remember learning about astronomy was star-hopping using the Big Dipper. I learned this technique from illustrations in the 1952 book “The Stars: A New Way to See Them” by H.A. Rey – the creator of “Curious George.” I still have a copy of that book today.
Using the Big Dipper to find Polaris – the North Star. Credit:Stellarium/Bob TrembleyThe Big Dipper is not a constellation, it is an asterism: a prominent pattern of stars, having a popular name, composed of stars from one or more constellations. The Big Dipper is an asterism in the constellation Ursa Major – “The Great Bear”
Big Dipper Asterism in Ursa Major. Credit: Stellarium/Bob Trembley
Ursa Major: The Great Bear. Credit: Stellarium/Bob TrembleyThe Big Dipper can be used to star-hop all over the night sky; I find myself doing this unconsciously quite frequently.
Big Dipper Pointing to Arcturus and Spica. Credit: Stellarium/Bob Trembley
Big Dipper Pointing to Capella. Credit: Stellarium/Bob Trembley
Big Dipper Pointing to Regulus. Credit: Stellarium/Bob Trembley
Big Dipper Pointing to Castor. Credit: Stellarium/Bob TrembleyUrsa Major is host to numerous deep sky objects:
Deep Sky Objects in Ursa Major. Credit: Stellarium/Bob Trembley
M101 Location in Ursa Major. Credit: Stellarium/Bob Trembley
M101 – The Pinwheel Galaxy in Ursa Major. Credit: ESA/NASA/Wikimedia Commons
M51 Location in Ursa Major. Credit: Stellarium/Bob Trembley
M51 – The Whirlpool Galaxy. Credit: NASA/ESA/Wikimedia Commons
M81 and M82 Location in Ursa Major. Credit: Stellarium/Bob Trembley
M81 (left) and M82 (right) in Ursa Major: Credti: Wikimedia Commons
M97 – The Owl Nebula Location in Ursa Major. Credit: Stellarium/Bob Trembley
M97 – The Owl Nebula. Credit: © 2013 Mazlin from Star Shadows Remote Observatory (SSRO).An interesting object in the handle of the Big Dipper is the naked eye double star Mizar and Alcor. When I was a younger, I could just barely see that there are two stars there; when giving night sky tours, I often challenge young observers to do the same. Mizar and Alcor are not gravitationally bound, rather they are nearly in line with each other when viewed from the Earth.
Mizar and Alcor Location in Ursa Major. Credit: Stellarium/Bob TrembleyIn a small telescope Mizar and Alcor separate, and it becomes apparent that Mizar is itself a double star.
Mizar and Alcor in a Small Telescope. Credit: Stellarium/Bob TrembleyBut that’s not all: Alcor is also a double star, and Mizar is a double double star!
Mizar and Alcor Gallery:
