In Latin, his name means “big bear”. Ursa Major is the largest constellation in the northern hemisphere and also the 3rd largest constellation in the sky, with an area of 1280 square degrees. Its brightest stars make up the Big Dipper, or Ursa Major, one of the most recognizable groups of stars in the sky.
The constellation Ursa Major on an old star map. Photo: Fandom
Ursa Major’s neighboring constellations include Boötes (Mu Fu), Camelopardalis (Luke Leopard), Canes Venatici (Canine), Coma Berenices (Later Phat), Draco (Tian Dragon), Leo (Lion), Leo Minor (Little Master) and Lynx (Tian Miao).
LEGEND
Ursa Major is a constellation that carries many meanings and is known in many cultures. It is one of the “oldest” constellations in the sky, with a history dating back to antiquity. This constellation is also mentioned in the writings of Homer and the Bible. Most of the stories and myths of the world “associate” Ursa Major with a bear.
Zeus, posing as the goddess Artemis to be close to Callisto. Source: Wikipedia
The ancient Greeks associated this constellation with the myth of the god Callisto. She is a beautiful fairy who took an oath of chastity (an oath to keep her virginity) to the goddess Artemis. Ironically, the supreme god Zeus fell in love with this fairy. They had a son and named him Arcas.
When he heard about it, Hera – the jealous wife of Zeus, turned Callisto into a bear. Callisto lived as a bear for about 15 years, wandering and always having to hide from hunters. One day, his son Arcas was walking in the woods when the two crossed paths. Seeing the bear, Arcas quickly drew his spear to prepare to attack.
The constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor represent the two bears in the sky. Photo: Art Station
Seeing this heartbreaking scene on Mount Olympus, Zeus quickly prevented it by using a whirlwind to send Callisto and Arcas skyward, where he transformed Arcas into the constellation Ursa Minor and transformed Callisto into the constellation Ursa Minor. Bear. In another version, the guy Arcas turns into the constellation Bootes (Mu Phu – Cowherd).
URSA MAJOR KEY STARS
NORTH STAR Table
The Big Dipper network (yellow lines) in the constellation Ursa Major. Source: Everett Herald
The Big Dipper, commonly referred to as the Big Dipper of Seven Stars (or Big Dipper) in the East, is one of the most recognizable star spots in the night sky. In different cultures it has different meanings.
The Big Dipper is also very useful for navigating in Polaris – the North Star (Alpha Ursae Minoris), the famous star in the constellation Ursa Minor. If you extend the imaginary line connecting the stars Merak and Dubhe, you will find the pole star.
Find the polar pole star among the stars Merak and Dubhe. Source: Imgur
Bảy ngôi sao trực thuộc Bắc Đẩu lần lượt there: Dubhe (α Ursae Majoris), Merak (β UMa), Phecda (γ UMa), Megrez (δ UMa), Alioth (ε UMa), Mizar (ζ UMa) và Alkaid ( η UMa).
Alioth – ε Ursa Major (Epsilon Ursa Major)
Alioth is the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Major and the 31st in brightness in the sky, with an apparent magnitude of 1.76 and a distance of about 81 light-years. Its traditional name is derived from the Arabic word ‘alyat’, which means ‘big sheep’s tail’.
Dubhe – α Ursa Major (Alpha Ursa Major
Dubhe has an apparent magnitude of 1.79 and is 123 light years away. It is the second brightest star in the constellation Ursa Major. The name Dubhe is derived from the Arabic word “dubb”, which means “bear”; The word “dubb” is in the term “żahr ad-dubb al-akbar”, or “the back of the great bear”.
Merak – β Ursa Major (Beta Ursa Major)
The name “Merak” is derived from the Arabic term “al-maraqq”, which means “belt”. Merak is a main sequence star, about 79.7 light years away and with an apparent magnitude of 2.37. This star belongs to the spectral class A1 V, in addition, it also has an orbiting dust disk with a mass of only 0.27% of the mass of the Earth.
Seven stars in the North Dipper chart (excluding Alcor). Photo: Astronomy Trek
Alkaid (Benetnash) – η Ursa Majoris (Eta Ursa Majoris)
Alkaid is the easternmost (easternmost) star. He is also known by the names Elkeid and Benetnash. Alkaid is a young main-sequence star of spectral class B3 V and lies about 101 light-years away. With an apparent magnitude of 1.85, it is the 3rd brightest star in the constellation and the 35th in brightness in the night sky.
Phecda – γ Ursa Major (Gamma Ursa Major)
Phecda is the low star to the left of the Big Dipper. The traditional name, Phecda (or Phad) is derived from the Arabic expression “fakhð ad-dubb”, which means “bear’s thigh”.
Phecda is a main sequence star of spectral class A0Ve. It has an apparent magnitude of 2,438 and is about 83.2 light years away.
The Big Dipper constellation in the sky. Photo: Ben Backyard Astronomy
Megrez – δ Ursa Major (Delta Ursa Major)
Megrez is the faintest of the stars in the Big Dipper. It is a main sequence star of spectral class A3V. With an apparent magnitude of 3,312 and about 58.4 light-years away, Megrez is 14 times brighter than the Sun and about 63% more massive. The name Megrez is derived from the Arabic phrase “al-maghriz”, which in this case means “the stalk of a bear’s tail”.
Mizar – ζ Ursa Major (Zeta Ursa Major)
Mizar is a binary binary star. It belongs to the dipper handle of the Big Dipper group – the second star from the outer edge. The name Mizar is derived from the Arabic word “mīzar”, which means “belt”. Mizar has an apparent magnitude of 2.23 and is about 82.8 light years away. It is the first double star ever photographed.
OTHER RELIABLE STARS
Alcor (80 Ursa Majoris)
People with relatively good eyesight will easily see a star right next to Mizar, which is Alcor, a star of spectral class A5V. This binary star system is sometimes referred to as “Horse and Rider”. – “Horses and riders”.
The Mizar and Alcor stars. Source: Gregg Astronomy and Astrophotography
Alcor has an apparent magnitude of 3.99 and is about 81.7 light years away. It is also known as Saidak (ordeal), Suha (forgetting) and Arundhati in Indian culture. Alcor was discovered to be binary in 2009.
Both Mizar and Alcor belong to the Ursa Major migrant population. The estimated distance between these two stars is 1.1 light years.
URSA MAJOR DEEP GENERAL
Bode Galaxy – Messier 81 (M81, NGC 3031)
M81 is a large, bright spiral galaxy, about 11.8 million light-years from Earth. Due to its proximity and relative brightness, its apparent brightness is relatively high, reaching a value of 6.94. The M81 is a popular target for beginner astronomers and professional astronomers.
The Bode Galaxy was discovered by German astronomer Johann Elert Bode in 1774. In 1779, astronomer Charles Messier independently identified the galaxy and listed it in his list of celestial objects.
Messier 81. Photo: NASA
The Cigar Galaxy – Messier 82 (M82, NGC 3034)
M82 is a powerful star galaxy, located about 11.5 million light-years from the solar system and with an apparent magnitude of 8.41.
Star formation occurs in this galactic core 10 times faster than star formation in the entire Milky Way galaxy. M82 is also about 5 times brighter than our galaxy.
197 massive star clusters were discovered at the center of the galaxy by the 2005 Hubble telescope. M82 was discovered on December 31, 1774 by astronomer Johann Elert.
Messier 82. Wikipedia
Owl Nebula – Messier 97 (M97, NGC 3587)
The Owl Nebula is a planetary nebula located about 2600 light-years from the solar system and has an apparent magnitude of 9.9.
Pierre Méchain, a French astronomer, discovered this nebula in 1781. Scientists believe that M97 formed around 8,000 years ago. In the center of the nebula is a star of magnitude 16. Viewed through a large telescope, M97 is shaped like an owl’s eyes, which is why it was given its current name.
Messier 97. Ảnh: Messier Objects
Moulinet Galaxy – Messier 101 (M101, NGC 5457)
The Pinwheel Galaxy is a spiral galaxy with a magnificent disc. This galaxy has an apparent magnitude of 7.86 and is approximately 20.9 million light-years from Earth. M101 was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781 and was later included by Charles Messier in one of the last entries in his list of celestial objects.
Messier 101. Distant Lights
The Pinwheel Galaxy is about 170,000 light-years across, about 70% larger than the Milky Way. It contains several large and bright H II regions (clouds of gas and plasma), filled with hot, hot newly formed stars.
Messier 108 (M108, NGC 3556)
Messier 108 is a barred spiral galaxy, discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781. M108 is an isolated member of the Ursa Major cluster, a cluster in the Virgo supercluster. M108 contains about 290 globular clusters and 83 X-ray sources. This galaxy has an apparent magnitude of 10.7 and is about 45,000 light-years away. A type 2 supernova, named 1969B was observed in M108 in 1969.
Messier 108. Source: Wikipedia
Messier 109 (M109, NGC 3992)
M109 is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major. It is located south of the star Phecda (Gamma Ursae Majoris). This galaxy has an apparent magnitude of 10.6 and is approximately 83.5 million light-years away.
Like other notable galaxies in the constellation Ursa Major, M109 was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781 and Charles Messier cataloged it two years later.
Messier 103. Source: Wikipedia
Summary of Constellation-Guide
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