The starry sky is unusually beautiful. For many centuries, mankind has been observing the firmament. In the distant times, when we had not even thought that the Earth revolved around the Sun, there were already many legends and traditions that these sky lanterns can mean.
It is thanks to the imagination of our ancestors, as well as the association of luminaries with the heavenly magical powers, in which people of different nationalities and eras believed, that we now have the names that we have.
Why exactly is the Big Dipper?
For example, I wonder why the constellation of the Big Dipper is also called the Big Dipper? In fact, we can see only the seven largest bright stars, on which the shaped shape of the bucket is made. But in antiquity, more "big-eyed" people noticed a huge cluster of less bright stars, which in their combination gave the image of a bear.
It is this constellation, the most striking and noticeable in our hemisphere and known to every inquisitive person, that is the starting point for understanding how to find the North Star - a landmark of many travelers in the old days, devoid of the charms of electronic navigation devices. Now any student who attentively listens to the teacher in the classroom knows the way to find her - this information is provided by geography (grade 7).
The North Star is the only celestial body that does not change its visible position in the sky. Therefore, looking at it, sailors and travelers always knew where the north is. It is motionless because it is a pole of rotation - it is through it that the imaginary axis of planet Earth passes. So how to find the North Star, knowing only the location of the aforementioned constellation Ursa Major?
A bit of preparation
To begin with, if you decide to devote yourself to studying the night sky, choose a day when the sky will be clear, cloudless. It is also good that there is no bright full moon, because its light will begin to overshadow those parts of the sky where it is located. Also, prudently make sure that you can sleep a little longer the next day, because this business will enchant, and time will fly by quickly. A great way to spend a romantic evening, by the way. At the same time, you can defeat a girl with your knowledge of astronomy or spend time together studying stars.
Next, the procedure for finding the North Star goes into the search phase of Ursa Major.
This constellation is easy to spot.
It is large, and under the conditions described above (clear sky, no moon), it is easily determined in the sky. The Big Bucket from the territory of Russia is visible at any time of the year, except that in the autumn months in the south of the country it drops too low.
Big Bucket Stars
As mentioned earlier, Ursa Major is made up of many stars, but the most prominent of them are seven. They are called the first letters of the Greek alphabet.
Of all these stars, Alpha and Beta are of interest to us. Alpha the Big Dipper has its own name - Dubhe ("the back of the big bear" in Arabic), and Beta is also called Merak. It is these two stars that will help us in resolving the issue of how to find the North Star.
Through Alpha and Beta, we draw an imaginary line that connects both stars. If you extend it upwards, then it will rest against a bright star, which is the Polar one. It is located above the North Pole, and therefore has always been a night beacon for travelers since ancient times. Now this knowledge will not hurt either, since it is not always possible to rely on navigation aids.
North Star - Beginning of Another Constellation
By knowing where the North Star is located, we can also find another constellation - Ursa Minor. It has a similar shape in the form of a bucket, but much smaller and upside down.