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:''This article is about the asterism; for other uses, see Big Dipper (disambiguation).''

A group of the brightest stars of the constellation Ursa Major, the 'Great Bear', form a well-known asterism that has been recognized as a distinct grouping in many cultures from time immemorial.

Contents

Names and lore

Europe

Asia

North America

Other

Stars

Guidepost

See also

Names and lore

Europe

In the United Kingdom this pattern is known as the 'Plough' (although in northern England it is occasionally referred to as the 'Butcher's Cleaver'). It was formerly called by the old name 'Charles' Wain' ("wain" meaning "wagon," and derived from the still older ''Carlswæn'') as it still is in Scandinavia, ''Karlavagnen,'' or ''Karlsvognen''. This common Germanic name originally meant the ''men's wagon'' (''the churls' wagon'') in contrast to the ''women's wagon'' (Little Dipper). A folk etymology holds that it was named after Charlemagne. In Slavic languages and Romanian language, it is known as "Great Wagon", as opposed to "Small Wagon", Little Dipper. In Russia, it is called 'Big Mother Bear'. In German it is called 'Großer Wagen' (Great Cart). An older ''Odin's Wain'' may lie behind these northern concepts.
In Finland the figure is known as 'Otava' and widely used as a cultural symbol. It is also the name of a Finnish publishing house (see: Otava).
In Ireland the figure is known as the 'Starry Plough' and has been used as a political symbol.
The 'Casserole' (saucepan) is a name for the grouping in southern France.

These seven stars ("Septentrio") are the origin of the Latin word ''septentriones'' meaning "north" and now found as the adjective ''septentrional'' (northern) in English, French, and Spanish.

Asia

In Hindu astronomy, it is referred to as ''(Vrihat)'' 'Sapta Rishi' meaning "The Seven (Great) Sages".

Throughout eastern Asia, these stars compose the 'Northern Dipper'. They are colloquially named "''The Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper''" (; Japanese Romaji: hokuto shichisei; Korean: 북두칠성).
Vietnamese : chòm sao Bắc Đẩu
In Malaysia,it is known as ''Buruj Biduk'' (The Ladle).

North America

In North America it is universally known as the 'Big Dipper' because the major stars can be seen to follow the rough outline of a large ladle or dipper. This figuration appears to be derived originally from Africa, where it was sometimes seen as a drinking gourd. In the 19th century, runaway slaves would ''follow the Drinking Gourd'' to the north and freedom.
A widespread American Indian figuration had the bowl as a bear. Some groups considered the handle to be three cubs following their mother, while others pictured three hunters tracking the bear. (For example, see Abenaki mythology.) The Dipper appears on some Tribal flags.

Other

The Bible refers to it as "'the seven stars'" (''Amos'' 5:8), though some translations have "Big Dipper" explicitly, and some translations of that verse refer to the Pleiades, which also has seven stars, instead.

In Tolkien's Middle-earth mythos, it is called the Sickle of the Valar, the sign of Hope signifying doom for Evil, while in T.A. Barron's ''Great Tree of Avalon'' series, it is called the Wizard's Staff, symbolizing Merlin's staff.
In the manga series ''Fist of the North Star'' (''Hokuto no Ken''), the ''Hokuto'' in the original Japanese title refers not to the North Star in the official English title, but to the Big Dipper instead (''Hokuto'' literally means Northern Dipper). The main character, Kenshiro, bears seven scars on his chests that forms the same shape as the Big Dipper. The Big Dipper itself or ''Hokuto Shichisei'' is a recurring symbolism in the series.

Stars

Within Ursa Major the stars of the Big Dipper have Bayer designations in consecutive Greek alphabetical order from the bowl to the handle.

Proper Name	Bayer Designation	Apparent Magnitude	Distance (L Yrs)
Dubhe	α UMa	1.8	124
Merak	β UMa	2.4	79
Phecda	γ UMa	2.4	84
Megrez	δ UMa	3.3	81
Alioth	ε UMa	1.8	81
Mizar	ζ UMa	2.1	78
Alkaid	η UMa	1.9	101

Near Mizar is a star called Alcor that is believed to be an optical companion. At magnitude 4.1, Alcor would normally be relatively easy to see with the unaided eye, but its proximity to Mizar renders it more difficult to resolve, and it has served as a traditional test of sight. In the 17th century, Mizar itself was discovered to be a binary star system — the first telescopic binary found. The component stars are known as Mizar A and Mizar B. In 1889, Mizar A was discovered to in fact be a binary as well, the first spectroscopic binary discovered, and with the subsequent discovery that Mizar B itself is also a binary, in total Mizar currently is known to be at least a quadruple star system.
Five of the stars of the Big Dipper are at the core of the Ursa Major Moving Group. The two at the ends, Dubhe and Alkaid, are not part of the swarm, and are moving in the opposite direction. Relative to the central five, they are moving down and to the right in the map. This will slowly change the Dipper's shape, with the bowl opening up and the handle becoming more bent. In 50,000 years the Dipper will no longer exist as we know it, but be re-formed into a new Dipper facing the opposite way. The stars Alkaid to Phecda will then constitute the bowl, while Phecda, Merak, and Dubhe will be the handle.

Guidepost

Not only are the stars in the Big Dipper easily found themselves, but they may also be used as guides to yet other stars.

★ Polaris, the 'North Star', is found by imagining a line from Merak to Dubhe and then extending it for five times the distance between the two 'Pointers'.

★ Extending a line from Megrez to Phecda, on the inside of the bowl, leads to Regulus (α Leonis.

★ Crossing the top of the bowl from Megrez to Dubhe takes one in the direction of Capella (α Aurigae).

★ Castor and Pollux (α and β Geminorum) can be located by crossing the bottom of the bowl from Phecda to Merak and continuing onward.

★ By following the curve of the handle from Alioth to Mizar to Alkaid, one reaches Arcturus (α Boötis) and Spica (α Virginis). A mnemonic for this is ''"Arc to Arcturus then speed to Spica."''
Also, the approximate location of the Hubble Deep Field can be found by following a line from Phecda to Megrez and continuing on for the same distance again.

See also

★ Ursa Major, the constellation of which the 'Big Dipper' is part

★ Little Dipper

★ Gallery of astronomical flags