How to Find the Big Dipper

Thứ sáu - 26/04/2024 23:11
The Big Dipper is perhaps the most famous grouping of stars in the sky. It is part of a bigger constellation of stars called Ursa Major or the Big Bear, and it features in the legends of many cultures. It can help you with navigation and...
Table of contents
ARTICLE

The Big Dipper is perhaps the most famous grouping of stars in the sky. It is part of a bigger constellation of stars called Ursa Major or the Big Bear, and it features in the legends of many cultures. It can help you with navigation and telling time. It's not very difficult to spot if you know what you're looking for.

Part 1
Part 1 of 4:

Getting in the Right Position

  1. Step 1 Find the right spot.
    Position yourself in a location where there is not bright lighting. You will have a better chance of spotting the Big Dipper in an area not polluted with light.
    • You also should position yourself in a spot where the northern horizon is clear.[1]
    • Wait until darkness falls. You aren't going to find the Big Dipper during the daytime. The best viewing time is between March and June and around 10 p.m.[2]
  2. Advertisement
Part 2
Part 2 of 4:

Locating the Big Dipper

  1. Advertisement
Part 3
Part 3 of 4:

Learning the Legends of the Big Dipper

  1. Step 1 Study Big Dipper lore.
    Some Native Americans saw the bowl of the Big Dipper as a bear. The stars of the handle were three warriors chasing it.[9]
    • Other Native Americans saw the Big Dipper's bowl as the bear's flank and its handle as the bear's tail. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the Big Dipper is called “Plough,” which derives from Nordic stargazing in which the Big Dipper was believed to be the chief god, Odin's, wagon or chariot. In Danish, they call it “Karlsvogna” or Charles wagon.
    • Various cultures see the Big Dipper as something different. In China, Japan, and Korea, it's a ladle. In northern England, a cleaver, in Germany and Hungary, a cart, and in the Netherlands, a saucepan. It's a salmon net in Finland and a coffin in Saudi Arabia.
    • Escaped American slaves found their way to freedom in the north along the Underground Railroad by being told to “follow the drinking Gourd.” Thus, the Big Dipper was used as a navigational method. The Micmacs of Canada saw the Big Dipper bowl as being a celestial bear, with the three stars of its handle being hunters chasing the bear.
  2. Advertisement
Part 4
Part 4 of 4:

Finding the Little Dipper and Ursa Major

  1. Advertisement


Total notes of this article: 0 in 0 rating

Click on stars to rate this article