In Greek mythology, this constellation was associated with two different myths. In one, it represented Ida and her sister Adrasteia, the nymphs who took care of Zeus on the island of Crete when he was small. Zeus rewarded them by placing them in the heavens. In another story, it represented Arcas, who was the son of Zeus and the nymph Callisto. Arcas and his mother were transformed into bears and placed in the night sky.
Ursa Minor contains only 3 stars brighter than magnitude 4. Polaris, the North Star, is the brightest with a visual magnitude of 1. It is a multiple star system that contains at least three individual stars. It is located about light years from Earth. However alone it clearly represents a body with a long tail with Polaris at the tip. The constellation is visible year around in the northern hemisphere and is such considered a circumpolar constellation.
All other circumpolar constellations and stars visible in the sky appear to rotate around Polaris and Ursa Minor. Ursa Minor constellation is one of the original 48 constellations listed by the Egyptian mathematician Ptolemy, who lived under Roman rule in Alexandria in the 2nd century.
These constellations formed the basis for the modern list agreed by the IAU. Constellations from the southern hemisphere, unable to be seen from the Mediterranean, represent the majority of additions to the list. As the earth moves in its orbit around the sun, each night you are looking at a different portion of the sky.
When looking at stars it is important to be aware of what is within your view. Northern hemisphere stargazers can group constellations into 3 groups; circumpolar, summer and winter constellations. The circumpolar constellations are in the north sky, appear to move around the north star and are visible throughout the year. The constellations in the south sky are only visible for part of the year and are grouped as either summer or winter constellations.
Each is visible from between 4 to 10 months. It is important to be aware of the specific time of year and hour of the night when deciding what to look for. These pages below show the constellations in each group so you can find the constellations that interest you. Or use this guide to easily see which constellations are easiest to find right now:.
Neighbouring constellations : Ursa Major , Draco, Cepheus, Cassiopeia direction varies as constellations rotate around Polaris. Brightest star : Polaris north star , 1. Stars brighter than 3 magnitude : 3. Latitude : 70 — 90 degrees north including north star — Polaris. Ursa Minor can be seen all year and its location should remain unchanged. Regardless of your viewing time it will appear above the northern horizon at an angle equal to your latitude.
Because its location does not change it is one of the easiest constellations to locate. All other constellations rotate around Polaris and Ursa Minor and as such their coordinal direction changes.
The relative direction to the form of Ursa Minor does not change however so you will be able to effectively locate other constellations once you become familiar with the form of Ursa Minor.
Best visible at year round. For the southern hemisphere, constellations appear rotated degrees upside-down and left-right reversed from what is shown.
Remember that seasons are reversed too - summer in northern latitudes is winter in southern latitudes. Values listed apply primarily to stars. Deep-sky objects such as galaxies and nebulae are diffuse, so subtract an integer for these. Callisto then roamed the forests for years until she came face to face with her son, Arcas. Arcas was scared of the great bear in front of him and drew his spear, but Zeus quickly intervened to prevent a tragedy.
Arcas is frequently more associated with the Bootes constellation, the celestial herdsman. In an older myth, the seven stars that form the Little Dipper were said to represent the Hesperides, the seven daughters of Atlas.
Home » Constellations » Ursa Minor Constellation. Ursa Minor remains among the 88 modern constellations where it holds the 56 th place in terms of size, covering around square degrees. Polaris is the brightest star in Ursa Minor. Another star, Kochab, is slightly fainter than Polaris, being the second-brightest star in Ursa Minor. Kochab also held the title of the North Pole Star several thousands of years ago.
The constellation of Ursa Minor, just like its grander counterpart, Ursa Major, is marked by the famous asterism, the Little Dipper. The Little Dipper asterism can be seen as the handle of a ladle, hence the North American name.
There are no Messier objects present in the constellation of Ursa Minor. Currently, around 4 stars have been discovered to host planets in Ursa Minor.
The Ursids meteor shower is associated with Ursa Minor. Location The constellation of Ursa Minor is the 56 th largest constellation in the sky. Right Ascension: 08 h Notable Stars The constellation of Ursa Minor hosts several important stars, such as Polaris, the current north pole star, or the seven stars that form the Little Dipper asterism. Polaris Polaris, designated as Alpha Ursae Minoris, is a triple star system, and currently, it is our North Star or Pole Star, being the closest star to the north celestial pole.
Kochab Kochab, designated as Beta Ursae Minoris, is the brightest star in the bowl of the Little Dipper asterism, and the second-brightest star in the constellation of Ursa Minor. Yildun Yildun, designated as Delta Ursae Minoris, is a white-hued star with an apparent magnitude of 4.
Urodelus Urodelus, designated as Epsilon Ursae Minoris, is a binary star located at around light-years away from us.
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