Ancient people usedOrion to predict the seasons: If it appeared at midnight, the grapes were ready to harvest. If it appeared in the morning, summer was beginning. If it appeared in the evening, winter hadarrived. Canis Major, the GreatDog The Romans called the constellation Septentrio, or “seven plough oxen,” even though only two of the seven stars represented oxen, while the others formed a wagon. In 1996, a planet at least 2.53 times the size of Jupiter was discovered in the star’s orbit. Two more planets were discovered in the system in 2002 and 2010. Alula Borealis and Alula Australis – ν (Nu) and ξ (Xi) Ursae Majoris – “the first leap” Alioth is the brightest star in Ursa Major and the 31st brightest star in the night sky. It has an apparent magnitude of 1.76 and is approximately 81 light years distant. The star’s traditional name comes from the Arabic word alyat, which means “fat tail of a sheep.” Alioth is the star in the bear’s tail that is closest to the body of the bear. Alioth belongs to the spectral class A0pCr. The p stands for peculiar because the star’s spectrum of light is similar to that of an Alpha-2 Canum Venaticorum variable. Alioth exhibits fluctuations in its spectral lines with a period of 5.1 days. Dubhe – α Ursae Majoris (Alpha Ursae Majoris)

HD 80606, a sun-like star in a binary system, orbits a common center of gravity with its partner, HD 80607; the two are separated by 1,200AU on average. Research conducted in 2003 indicates that its sole planet, HD 80606 b is a future hot Jupiter, modeled to have evolved in a perpendicular orbit around 5AU from its sun. The 4-Jupiter mass planet is projected to eventually move into a circular, more aligned orbit via the Kozai mechanism. However, it is currently on an incredibly eccentric orbit that ranges from approximately one astronomical unit at its apoapsis and six stellar radii at periapsis. [28] History [ edit ] Ursa Major shown on a carved stone, c.1700, Crail, Fife M101, also called the Pinwheel Galaxy, is a face-on spiral galaxy located 25 million light-years from Earth. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781. Its spiral arms have regions with extensive star formation and have strong ultraviolet emissions. [19] It has an integrated magnitude of 7.5, making it visible in both binoculars and telescopes, but not to the naked eye. [22] Several bright galaxies are found in Ursa Major, including the pair Messier 81 (one of the brightest galaxies in the sky) and Messier 82 above the bear's head, and Pinwheel Galaxy (M101), a spiral northeast of η Ursae Majoris. The spiral galaxies Messier 108 and Messier 109 are also found in this constellation. The bright planetary nebula Owl Nebula (M97) can be found along the bottom of the bowl of the Big Dipper. M81 is a nearly face-on spiral galaxy 11.8million light-years from Earth. Like most spiral galaxies, it has a core made up of old stars, with arms filled with young stars and nebulae. Along with M82, it is a part of the galaxy cluster closest to the Local Group.

How to spot famous constellations and asterisms

Ursa Major is the largest northern constellation and third largest constellation in the sky. Its brightest stars form the Big Dipper asterism, one of the most recognizable shapes in the sky, also known as the Plough. Ursa Major is well-known in most world cultures and associated with a number of myths. It was one of the constellations catalogued by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century. In Greek mythology, it is associated with Callisto, a nymph who was turned into a bear by Zeus’ jealous wife Hera. Hanging down below Orion’s Belt is his sword which is a small group of stars, as well as Orion’s Nebula. Clayson, Hollis (2002). "Exhibition Review: "Some Things Bear Fruit"? Witnessing the Bonds between Van Gogh and Gauguin". The Art Bulletin. 84 (4): 670–684. doi: 10.2307/3177290. ISSN 0004-3079. JSTOR 3177290. The October Ursae Majorids were discovered in 2006 by Japanese researchers. They may be caused may be a long period comet. [26] The shower peaks between October12 and 19. [27]

a b Hajduková, M.; Neslušan, L. (2020). "The χ-Andromedids and January α-Ursae Majorids: A new and a probable shower associated with Comet C/1992 W1 (Ohshita)". Icarus. 351: 113960. Bibcode: 2020Icar..35113960H. doi: 10.1016/j.icarus.2020.113960. S2CID 224889918. M82 is a nearly edgewise galaxy that is interacting gravitationally with M81. It is the brightest infrared galaxy in the sky. [19] SN 2014J, an apparent Type Ia supernova, was observed in M82 on 21 January 2014. [20] Alcor is a visual companion to Mizar. It belongs to the spectral class A5V. The two stars are sometimes known as the “Horse and Rider.”Canción para la luna - Federico García Lorca - Ciudad Seva". Archived from the original on 2015-05-10 . Retrieved 2015-08-16. Alcor has a visual magnitude of 3.99 and is 81.7 light years distant from the solar system. It is also known as Saidak (“the test”), Suha (“neglected” or “forgotten”) and Arundhati in Indian cultures. Alcor was discovered to be a binary system in 2009. The eight neighboring constellations to the Great Bear are Draco to the north and northeast. Boötes to the east. Canes Venatici to the east and southeast. Coma Berenices to the southeast. You can find the North Star, Polaris, by following a line drawn through Dubhe and Merak, the two end stars in the bowl part of Ursa Major (Great Bear). The name is Latin meaning greater she-bear. Ursa Major is known as the greater (or larger) bear when compared to nearby Ursa Minor, also known as the lesser bear.

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sourcesin this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( April 2019) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Ursae Majoris, known as Alkaid, meaning the "end of the tail". With a magnitude of 1.85, Alkaid is the third-brightest star of Ursa Major. [11] [12] Reader's Digest Association (August 2005). Planet Earth and the Universe. Reader's Digest Association, Limited. ISBN 978-0-276-42715-2. Archived from the original on 2021-04-15 . Retrieved 2016-11-07.The constellation Ursa Major contains 22 formally named stars. The star names approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) are Alcor, Alioth, Alkaid, Alkaphrah, Alula Australis, Alula Borealis, Aniara, Chalawan, Dombay, Dubhe, Intercrus, Liesma, Mazaalai, Megrez, Merak, Mizar, Muscida, Násti, Phecda, Taiyangshou, Talitha, Tania Australis, and Tania Borealis. Ian Ridpath and Wil Tirion (2007). Stars and Planets Guide, Collins, London. ISBN 978-0-00-725120-9. Princeton University Press, Princeton. ISBN 978-0-691-13556-4. In the Sámi languages of Northern Europe, part of the constellation (i.e. the Big Dipper minus Dubhe and Merak, is identified as the bow of the great hunter Fávdna (the star Arcturus). In the main Sámi language, North Sámi, it is called Fávdnadávgi ("Fávdna's Bow") or simply dávggát ("the Bow"). The constellation features prominently in the Sámi national anthem, which begins with the words Guhkkin davvin dávggaid vuolde sabmá suolggai Sámieanan, which translates to "Far to the north, under the Bow, the Land of the Sámi slowly comes into view." The Bow is an important part of the Sámi traditional narrative about the night sky, in which various hunters try to chase down Sarva, the Great Reindeer, a large constellation that takes up almost half the sky. According to the legend, Fávdna stands ready to fire his Bow every night but hesitates because he might hit Stella Polaris, known as Boahji ("the Rivet"), which would cause the sky to collapse and end the world. [49] Southeast Asian traditions [ edit ] Ursa Major is one of the original 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy in the second century CE. The brightest stars in this constellation form the Big Dipper asterism, also known as the Plough. This particular asterism is one of the most recognizable shapes in the sky.