Ursa Major
Devon Hope,Alana O'Campo and Justin Schoentag
Mythology
Zeus fell in love with a beautiful nymph,Callisto.Hera, Zeus's wife, learned of Zeus and Callisto having a affair.Hera turned Callisto into a bear.One day, Callisto saw her son in the woods and tried to greet him but could only growl. Acras,her son,drew his spear and readied to attack her.Zeus changed Acras into a bear and then placed them both in the Northern Sky.
Ursa Major
Ursa Major
Outlining of the Big Dipper.
Ursa Major
Sketch of Ursa Major.
General Information
Ursa Major Information
- Ursa major means big bear in Latin.
- Some of the galaxies in Ursa Major are Messier 81, Messier 82, The pinwheel galaxy, and the spiral galaxy.
- Ursa Major was one of the 48 constellation listed in the 2nd century A.D astronomer, Ptolemy
- This constellation was mentioned in many poems
- There is a optical double star in Ursa Major called Mizar
- In European star charts, the constellation was visualized with the "square" of the big dipper forming the bear's body and the chains of stars as his tail,except bears don't have long tails
- A Jewish astronomer considered Alioth,Mizar, And Alkaid instead to be either three cubs following their mother their,and the native Americans as three hunters.