The circumpolar constellation, Ursa Minor. Click on image for full size (38K JPG) Windows Original

Ursa Minor, also called the Little Dipper, is a circumpolar constellation. This means it never sets in the northern sky. The true figure represented by the stars is the Little Bear. Its counterpart is Ursa Major, or the Great Bear.

There are several mythological stories behind these famous constellations. In Greek myth, Zeus was having an affair with the lovely Callisto. When his wife, Hera, found out she changed Callisto into a bear. Zeus put the bear in the sky along with the Little Bear, which is Callisto's son, Arcas.

A big mystery concerning the two bears is their peculiar long tails. Bears normally have very short tails, so stories were made to explain this difference. In Greek myth, it was told that Zeus swung the bears around by the tails, stretching them out. In some Native American myths, the tails are in fact hunters chasing after their prey. In other myths, the constellation is not a bear at all, but is in fact a dog.

Unfortunately, there aren't as many interesting objects in Ursa Minor as there are in Ursa Major. Probably the most important of all is the last star in the tail. This spot is held by the North Star, Polaris. It sits slightly off the celestial north pole. It is a common misbelief to think that the North Star is the brightest in the sky. It is actually quite dim. It is called the North Star because it never moves from its position in our night sky.

There aren't any nebulae or star clusters present in Ursa Minor. There is a unique circle of stars called the "engagement ring" slightly below Polaris. They can be viewed with binoculars or a telescope. An easy way to find Polaris is by using the pointer stars. Dubhe and Merak make up the right edge of the "bowl" in the Big Dipper. Connect them with a straight line and continue north. You will run right into the North Star.

The circumpolar constellation, Ursa Minor. Click on image for full size (38K JPG) Windows Original

Ursa Minor, also called the Little Dipper, is a circumpolar constellation. This means it never sets in the northern sky. The true figure represented by the stars is the Little Bear. Its counterpart is Ursa Major, or the Great Bear.

There are several mythological stories behind these famous constellations. In Greek myth, Zeus was having an affair with the lovely Callisto. When his wife, Hera, found out she changed Callisto into a bear. Zeus put the bear in the sky along with the Little Bear, which is Callisto's son, Arcas. In other myths, the constellation is not a bear at all, but is in fact a dog.

Unfortunately, there aren't as many interesting objects in Ursa Minor as there are in Ursa Major. Probably the most important of all is the last star in the tail. This spot is held by the North Star, Polaris. Many think it is called the North Star because it is very bright. But actually, it is quite dim. Instead, the name comes from the fact that it doesn't move from its spot in the night sky.

There aren't any nebulae or star clusters present in Ursa Minor. There is a unique circle of stars called the "engagement ring" slightly below Polaris. They can be viewed with binoculars or a telescope. An easy way to find Polaris is by using the pointer stars. Dubhe and Merak make up the right edge of the "bowl" in the Big Dipper. Connect them with a straight line and continue north. You will run right into the North Star.

The circumpolar constellation, Ursa Minor. Click on image for full size (38K JPG) Windows Original

Ursa Minor is usually called the Little Dipper. There is also a constellation called Ursa Major, which is called the Big Dipper. In many different myths, the two are bears. In Greek mythology, Hera turned Callisto into a bear because she was jealous of her. Zeus put the bear in the sky along with the Little Bear, which is Callisto's son, Arcas.

The tail of the Little Bear ends with the North Star, Polaris. It is called the North Star because it is at the celestial north pole. Just below the star is a small circle of stars called the "engagement ring". They can be seen using a telescope or binoculars.

To find Polaris, first find the Big Dipper. Imagine a line drawn connecting the right edge of the "bowl". If you keep drawing the line north, it will come to the North Star. Pretty neat!