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Big Dipper (asterism)

Ursa Major
Constellation
Ursa Major
Abbreviation UMa
Genitive Ursae Majoris
Pronunciation /ˈɜːrsə ˈmər/,
genitive /ˌɜːrs məˈɒrs/
Symbolism the Great Bear
Right ascension 10.67
Declination +55.38
Family Ursa Major
Quadrant NQ2
Area 1280 sq. deg. (3rd)
Main stars 7, 20
Bayer/Flamsteed
stars
93
Stars with planets 21
Stars brighter than 3.00m 7
Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly) 8
Brightest star ε UMa (Alioth) (1.76m)
Nearest star Lalande 21185
(8.31 ly, 2.55 pc)
Messier objects 7
Meteor showers Alpha Ursa Majorids
Leonids-Ursids
Bordering
constellations
Draco
Camelopardalis
Lynx
Leo Minor
Leo
Coma Berenices
Canes Venatici
Boötes
Visible at latitudes between +90° and −30°.
Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of April.
Big dipper.triddle.jpg
The Big Dipper or Plough

Ursa Major (/ˈɜːrsə ˈmər/; also known as the Great Bear) is a constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere. One of the 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy (second century AD), it remains one of the 88 modern constellations. It can be visible throughout the year in most of the northern hemisphere. Its name, Latin for "the greater (or larger) she-bear", stands as a reference to and in direct contrast with Ursa Minor, "the lesser she-bear", with which it is frequently associated in mythology and amateur astronomy. The constellation's most recognizable asterism, a group of seven relatively bright stars commonly known as the "Big Dipper", "the Wagon" or "the Plough" (among others), both mimics the shape of the lesser bear (the "Little Dipper") and is commonly used as a navigational pointer towards the current northern pole star, Polaris in Ursa Minor. The Big Dipper and the constellation as a whole have mythological significance in numerous world cultures, usually as a symbol of the north.

The third largest constellation in the sky, Ursa Major is home to many deep-sky objects including seven Messier objects, four other NGC objects and I Zwicky 18, which is potentially the youngest-known galaxy in the visible universe.


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Wikipedia

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