How many visible stars are in the big dipper. Ursa Major - names and descriptions of the stars of the constellation

Big Dipper- constellation of the northern hemisphere of the sky. Seven Stars Ursa Major make up a figure resembling a ladle with a handle. The two brightest stars, Aliot and Dubhe, have magnitudes of 1.8 apparent magnitudes. According to the two extreme stars of this figure (α and β), you can find the Polar Star. Best conditions visibility - in March-April. Visible throughout Russia all year round(with the exception of the autumn months in southern Russia, when Ursa Major descends low to the horizon).

There are about 125 stars in the constellation, but only seven are called the largest and brightest: Dubhe, Merak, Fekda, Megrets, Aliot, Mizar and Alkaid. Between themselves, they form a bucket, which is visible to the naked eye.

The legend of the appearance of the constellation

In distant Greenland there is also a legend in which the constellation Ursa Major appears. The mythology and history of this cluster is quite popular. But one story has gained the greatest popularity among the Eskimos, about which absolutely everyone tells. It has even been suggested that this legend is not fiction, but the purest truth. In a snowy house, on the very edge of Greenland, lived the great hunter Eriulok. He lived in a hut alone, as he was arrogant, considering himself the best in his field. Therefore, he did not want to communicate with his other compatriots. For many years in a row he went to sea and always returned with rich booty. In his house there was always a lot of food, seal fat, and the walls of his dwelling were decorated with the best skins of walruses, seals and seals.

Eriulok was rich, well-fed, but lonely. And loneliness over time began to burden the great hunter. He tried to make friends with his fellow Eskimos, but they did not want to deal with an arrogant relative. Apparently, he offended them greatly at the time. In desperation, Eriulok went to Arctic Ocean and called the mistress sea depths, the goddess Arnarquachssak. He told her about himself and his trouble. The goddess promised to help, but in return, Eriulok had to bring her a ladle with magical berries that would restore youth to the goddess. The hunter agreed and went to a distant island, found a cave guarded by a bear. After much torment, he put the forest animal to sleep and stole a ladle of berries. The goddess did not deceive the hunter and gave him a wife, and in return received magical berries.

After all the adventures, Eriulok got married and became a father big family, to the envy of all the neighbors in the district. As for the goddess, she ate all the berries, rejuvenated by a couple of hundred centuries, and joyfully threw an empty bucket into the sky, where he, clinging to something, remained hanging.

Stars and asterisms

Ursa Major is the third largest constellation (after Hydra and Virgo), whose seven bright stars form the famous Big Bucket; this asterism has been known since antiquity among many peoples under different names: the Rocker, the Plow, the Elk, the Wagon, the Seven Wise Men, etc. All the stars of the Bucket have their own Arabic names:

Dubhe(α Ursa Major) means "bear";
Merak(β) - "lower back";
Fekda(γ) - "thigh";
Megrets(δ) - "the beginning of the tail";
Aliot(ε) - the meaning is not clear (but, most likely, this name means "fat tail");
Mizar(ζ) - "sash" or "loincloth".
The last star in the bucket handle is called Benetnash or Alkaid(η); in Arabic, "al-Qaeed banat ours" means "the leader of the mourners." This poetic image is taken from the Arab folk interpretation of the constellation Ursa Major.

In the system of naming stars with Greek letters, the order of the letters simply corresponds to the order of the stars.

Another interpretation of asterism is reflected in the alternative name Hearse and Wailers. Here, asterism is thought of as a funeral procession: in front of the mourners, led by a leader, behind them are a funeral stretcher. This explains the name of the star η Ursa Major "the leader of the mourners."

Bucket inner stars

5 inner stars of the Bucket (except for the extreme α and η) really belong to a single group in space - the moving cluster Ursa Major, which moves quite quickly across the sky; Dubhe and Benetnash are moving in the opposite direction, so the shape of the Dipper changes significantly in about 100,000 years.

Stars Merak and Dubhe

They form the wall of the Bucket, are called pointers, since the straight line drawn through them rests on the North Star (in the constellation Ursa Minor). Six stars of the Bucket have a shine of the 2nd magnitude, and only Megrets is of the 3rd magnitude.

Alcor

Next to Mizar, which was the second among the double stars discovered in the telescope (Giovanni Riccioli in 1650; according to the data of the early 2000s, it was probably observed as a double as early as 1617 by Galileo). A keen eye sees a star of magnitude 4 Alcor (80 Ursa Major), which in Arabic means “forgotten”, or “insignificant”. It is believed that the ability to distinguish the star Alcor has been a recognized test of vigilance since ancient times. The pair of stars Mizar and Alcor is often interpreted as an asterism " horse and rider».

Three gazelle jumps

Peculiar asterism Three gazelle jumps of Arabic origin consists of three pairs of closely spaced stars, and the pairs are on the same straight line and separated by equal distances. Associated with hoofprints of a gazelle moving by jumps. Includes stars:

Alula North and Alula South (v and ξ, first jump),
Taniya North and Taniya South (λ and μ, second jump),
Talita North and Talita South (ι and κ, third jump).

Arcturus

Aliot, Mizar, and Benetnash form an extended arc that points to Arcturus, the brightest star north of the celestial equator, and also the brightest star visible in spring in the mid-latitudes of Russia. As this arc extends further south, it points to Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo.

Lalande 21185

The red dwarf, located in the Alula Severnaya region and inaccessible to observations with the naked eye, is one of the closest to Earth star systems, closer to it are only Alpha Centauri, Barnard's star and Wolf 359. Groombridge 1830 is also accessible to observations through binoculars, which in its own motion is second only to Barnard's star and Kapteyn's star, in a hundred years it shifts by about a third of the lunar disk.

Constellation legends. Star of Dubhe

There are a huge number of legends and tales about the cluster of luminaries Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. The following belief goes about the brightest star Dubhe from the constellation Ursa Major. The daughter of King Lycaon, the beautiful Callisto was one of the huntresses of the goddess Artemis. The almighty Zeus fell in love with Callisto, and she gave birth to the boy Arkas. For this, the jealous wife of Zeus, Hera, turned Callisto into a bear. When Arkas grew up and became a hunter, he attacked the trail of a bear and was already preparing to hit the beast with an arrow. Zeus, seeing what was happening, did not allow the murder. It was he who turned Arkas into a smaller bear. The ruler of heaven placed them in the sky so that mother and son would always remain together.

Ursa Major ranks third among the constellations in terms of area, but unusually few variable stars have been found there - for 2011 it is not included in the top ten constellations in this indicator.

The Hubble Ultra Deep Field was imaged in a region one-twelfth the size of the lunar disk near the star Megrets. For 2011, this is one of the most detailed images starry sky, which makes it possible to distinguish many galaxies that are billions of light years away from the Earth.
Scars in the shape of the constellation Ursa Major on the chest are worn by the character of the popular in many countries anime and manga Hokuto No Ken, Kenshiro. At the moment, only an independent three-episode novella "The Fist" is available in the official Russian translation. northern star: New Era.
The world's first cryonics company is named after a star from the constellation Ursa Major.
Soviet archaeologist and historian, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Rybakov B.A. in his well-known work he wrote: “The most important constellation of our northern hemisphere - Ursa Major - in the Russian North was called “Elk”, “Prongs” ... The Poles call the North Star the “Moose Star” (Gwiazda Łosiowa). Among the Evenks, the constellation Ursa Major (Ursus Major) is called "Moose Heglen".
In the animated series "Gravity Falls" on the forehead of the main character Dipper Pines there is a birthmark in the form of this constellation. Because of him, he got the nickname Dipper ( dipper from English - ladle, and the constellation Ursa Major is sometimes called the Big Dipper).

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How many stars are in Ursa Major?

Ursa Major is a large server constellation. The seven main bright stars of the constellation form the well-known and famous bucket. The constellation Ursa Major contains 210 stars visible to the naked eye.

There are only 7 stars in the constellation Ursa Major.

They are arranged in the shape of a bucket.

Once the constellation Ursa Major was called Seven Wise Men

Seven Stars:

Star Benetas
star Aliot
star dubhe
star Merak
star Fekda
star Megrets
star Mizar

There is a legend that the North Pole - the Arctic was named after the constellation Ursa Major.

The ancient Greeks called it Arcos, hence the word Arctic - Arctic.

The constellation Ursa Major is a very important constellation. It is easily located in the sky and helps to find the North Star. Therefore, it is important for every person to know where he is and how many stars are in the constellation Ursa Major. These are seven stars, namely: Benetash, Aliot, Dubhe, Merak, Fekda, Megrets, Mizar.

Dear chela, no one can accurately and unambiguously answer your question. And the point is not only that not a single stellar astronomer knows the exact answer, but also that the number of observed stars will depend, figuratively speaking, on the chosen frame of reference. If observed in major city, for example, such as Moscow, through its dusty and light-polluted atmosphere, it is good if in this constellation we can see a dozen of the brightest stars. Observing the constellation somewhere on the western border of the Moscow region, an observer with keen eyesight will be able to see stars up to about the sixth magnitude (6m). And the total number of stars that he will be able to observe in the constellation Ursa Major will be about 120. If this observer observes the constellation, being at a point with a wonderful astroclimate, for example, somewhere in Hawaii, near the Mauna Kea observatory, at an altitude above 4000 meters, then he will be able to see stars up to 7m without instruments. In this case, the number of stars observed with the naked eye in the constellation Ursa Major will be approximately 240-250. But a record number of stars in the constellation Ursa Major can be seen in the Palomar Sky Atlas. It registered objects up to 21m. And these are not only the stars of our Galaxy, but also a huge number of other galaxies and their clusters. But different galaxies contain from tens of millions to hundreds of billions of stars. So it is almost impossible to count all the stars that are within the boundaries of the constellation Ursa Major.

And, sorry, I'll correct you a little. Polaris is the alpha of Ursa Minor.

One of the most beautiful and most recognizable constellations in the northern hemisphere of the sky is the constellation Big Dipper. On a clear night, seven main stars stand out brightly, but in fact, 125 can be distinguished with the naked eye. There are many double stars in the constellation. The most famous, by which visual acuity is determined, is Mizar and Alcor which means horse and rider.

But the North Star is part of Ursa Minor.

Big Dipper- one of the most famous, most noticeable and largest constellations of the sky. It is especially well observed in the northern hemisphere, as it belongs to the circumpolar constellations (it can be observed all year round, especially part of the constellation - the Big Dipper).

There are a huge number of stars in the constellation Ursa Major.

If we talk about the Big Dipper (as part of the constellation), then the most noticeable to the naked eye are 7 stars that make up the handle of the bucket and the bucket itself. It is noteworthy that the middle star of the bucket handle is a star Mizar is a double star (together with a less noticeable rider - the star Alcor. Therefore, it is worth talking about 8 stars of the Big Dipper. Although there are actually many more stars in the constellation.

In the Big Dipper seven stars. By their arrangement, they resemble a large bucket with a handle.

Moreover, each star in this constellation has its own name:

Three names can be seen in the picture:

Benetash (translated from Arabic means the leader of the mourners),
Aliot (translation unknown)
Dubhe (translated as bear).

The rest have the following names:

Merak (?) translates as loins,
Fekda (?) in the translation of the thigh,
Megrec (?) means the beginning of the tail,
Mizar (?) is translated as a sash.

I remember, sitting at an astronomy lesson, the teacher told us about this or that constellation. A separate lesson was about the Big Dipper. They told me where to look, where exactly to look. Separately, they forced me to write in a notebook the stars that are in the Big Dipper.

Benetash, Aliot, Duhbe, Merak, Fekda, Megrets, Mizar.

These are the school times =) It was interesting

And it's good that there were no control tests in astronomy

And so much knowledge ... =)

If we talk about the stars that make up the constellation Ursa Major, then there are exactly seven of them, you should not count double stars as two, since they still cannot be separated by an eye. In extreme cases, you can consider the eighth star of the constellation the star Alcor, which is seen next to Mizar. in ancient times, this pair of stars was called a horse and a rider, and it was believed that a person who was able to see Alcor had excellent eyesight. If we count the stars that are located and can be observed in the area occupied by the constellation Ursa Major, then there are really a lot of such stars. The constellation includes more than 200 stars that can be seen with a simple telescope. And how much you can see through the Herschel telescope is scary to even imagine. But still, I repeat, the constellation itself is formed by only 7 stars.

A person with normal vision can see about a hundred stars. With the help of instruments, you can see thousands of stars. The constellation also includes the stars of galaxies, in which there are also many thousands of stars. And how many stars do we just not see? And there are seven stars in the bucket, one of them is double.

Ursa Major is a constellation with which schoolchildren get acquainted in the 2nd grade, taking the course "The world around us".

It is important for children to learn how to find the star "bucket" in the night sky, because the constellation is a reference point for searching for many other celestial objects.

Description of the constellation Ursa Major

Ursa Major (Ursa Major) is the 3rd largest constellation in the northern hemisphere. The common name for the celestial object is the Big Dipper, since the seven main stars form a figure that looks like a bucket with a long handle.

On the territory of Eastern Europe and all of Russia, the object is observed throughout the year(the exception is autumn in the southern regions of Russia, when the constellation is too low above the horizon). The best visibility is in early spring.

The Big Dipper has been known to mankind since ancient times, and is significant in many cultures. The constellation is mentioned in the Bible and Homer's story "The Odyssey", its description is in the writings of Ptolemy.

The ancient peoples associated the star figure with a camel, a plow, a boat, a sickle, a basket. In Germany, the constellation is called the Great Basket, in China - the Imperial Chariot, in the Netherlands - the Pot, in the Arab countries - the Grave of the Mourners.

How many stars are in the constellation Ursa Major? There are seven in total, and they are all in different countries have interesting names. The inhabitants of Mongolia call them the Seven Gods, the Hindus - the Seven Wise Men.

In the representation of the American Indians, the three stars that form the "dipper handle" are three hunters chasing a bear. Alpha and beta constellations are also called "pointers", because with the help of these stars it is easy to find the North Star.

Bucket of the Big Dipper in autumn, winter, spring, summer

IN different times year, the position of the "bear" is not the same relative to the horizon. For better orientation, use a compass.

On a clear spring night, a cluster of stars is directly above the observer. From mid-April, the "bucket" begins to move west. During the summer, the constellation gradually moves to the northwest, descends. In the last days of August, the stars can be seen in the north, as low as possible above the horizon.

In the autumn sky, it is noticeable how the constellation slowly rises, during the winter months, as you can see in the diagram below, moving to the northeast, it again rises as high as possible above the horizon by spring.

To quickly find the constellation, you should remember that in summer it is located in the northwest, in autumn - in the north, in winter - in the northeast, in spring - directly above the observer.

Depending on the time of day, the position of the star figure changes relative not only to the vault of heaven, but also to its own axis. The image below shows that in the evening in January-February, the "ladle" is in the northeast (in the picture on the right), and its "handle" is directed downwards.

During the night, the constellation passes a semicircle, in the morning it reaches the northwest (in the picture on the left), and the "handle" rushes up.

In July-August, daily changes are opposite. The same contrast is noted in the spring and autumn months.

The position of the constellation in the sky is characterized by a daily change, specific for each season of the year.

Stars of Ursa Major

Answering the question, how many stars are in the Big Dipper, indicate the 7 most noticeable points. This seven forms the same “bucket”, which is clearly visible in the night sky.

But in reality, the constellation is more extensive, consists of a larger number of points. Stars of lesser brightness form the legs and muzzle of the "bear".

The seven main stars that make up the constellation include:

Dubhe("bear") - the alpha of the constellation, the second most intense glow. One of two signposts to the North Pole. A red giant that is 125 light years away from Earth.
Merak(translated as "loin") - a beta star, the second pointer to the North Pole. The object is about 80 light-years distant from Earth, slightly larger than the Sun, and emits a powerful stream of infrared radiation.
Fekda("thigh") - gamma, a dwarf star located at a distance of just under 85 light-years from our planet.
Megrets(from Arabic "base") - delta, a blue dwarf, more than 80 light-years from Earth. The object is so named because it is the base of the long tail of the "heavenly beast".
Aliot("tail") - epsilon, the brightest point of the constellation, is in 31st place in terms of the luminosity of objects visible in the sky (magnitude 1.8). White star, luminosity 108 times higher than that of the Sun. One of 57 celestial objects used in navigation.
Mizar(from Arabic "belt") - a zeta star, the fourth brightest in the "bucket". The star is double, there is a less bright companion - Alcor.
Alkaid("leader") or Benetnash ("crying") - this star, the third in luminosity, the end of the "bear's tail". Blue dwarf, distance - 100 light years from our planet.

The total number of objects in the constellation is about 125.

Of these, three pairs of stars located on the same line, located at a short distance from each other, should be noted:

Alula Borealis (nude constellation) and Alula Australis (xi);
Thania Borealis (lambda) and Thania Australis (mu);
Talita Borealis (iota) and Talita Australis (kappa).

These three pairs are also known as the three gazelle jumps and are located at the bottom of the star cluster on the map below.

The figure shows the location of the main seven stars and objects of the Talita, Thania and Alula groups.

Legend of the Big Dipper

There is an ancient Greek myth by which one can understand why the constellation Ursa Major is so called.

Callisto, heiress of King Lycaon, was one of the most beautiful nymphs who served Artemis. Zeus turned his gaze to the beauty. He took the form of Artemis and seduced the girl. The goddess got angry when she noticed in the bath that her beloved nymph was pregnant and drove her away. The unfortunate Callisto went to the mountains, where she gave birth to her son Arkas.

But the misadventures of the nymph did not stop there. Hera, the wife of the seductive god, found out about Arkas, the illegitimate son of Zeus, and in revenge turned her rival into a bear. As an adult, Arkas took up hunting. Once in the mountains, he ran into a bear, but he could not even think that his own mother was in front of him. The young man wanted to shoot an arrow at the beast, but Zeus stopped him.

The main god did not allow the son to commit a terrible act, but could not break the curse given by the Hero. Taking pity on the unfortunate Callisto, Zeus turned her and his son into stars and sent them to heaven. So the Big Dipper appeared in the sky, and next to it was the son - the Little Dipper.

How to find the Big Dipper in the sky

In the temperate zone of Russia, the "bear" refers to non-setting constellations, as it is located near the North Pole. Finding a "bucket" in the sky in the evening and at night is not difficult. It is enough to see a star cluster once to remember what it looks like.

Below in the photo you can see what a "bucket" might look like in the night sky.

For those living at the latitude of Moscow, it is best to observe the star cluster on an April night. In the time interval between 23 and 24 hours, the "ladle" will be at its zenith. The observer will only have to build a figure by points.

If it’s not April outside the window, then you should look for the “bear” in other areas of the sky:

January-February - northeast, angle above the horizon 30 - 70 °, the figure is located vertically;
March - east, angle 50 - 80 °, the figure is almost vertical;
May - west, 60 - 90 °, the "ladle" is tilted down by 60 - 80 °;
June-July - northwest, elevation above the horizon 40 - 70 °, tilt of the figure down 20 - 60 °;
August-September - northwest (closer to the north), 20 - 50 °, the figure is parallel to the horizon;
October - north, angle 20 - 30 °, the "ladle" is tilted upwards by 10 - 30 °;
November-December - northeast (closer to the north), 20 - 40 °, the figure is tilted upwards by 30 - 80 °.

After getting acquainted with the Big Dipper, the possibilities of studying the starry sky are significantly expanded. The North Star is the first thing that can be found, knowing the location of the large "bucket". And the Polar (alpha star Ursa Minor) is the main celestial landmark in the cardinal points.

Constellation Ursa Major

Ursa Major is a constellation in the northern hemisphere of the sky. Seven Ursa Major make up a figure resembling a ladle with a handle. The two brightest stars, Aliot and Dubhe, have magnitudes of 1.8 apparent magnitudes. According to the two extreme stars of this figure (α and β), you can find the Polar Star. The best visibility conditions are in March-April. It can be seen throughout Russia all year round (with the exception of the autumn months in southern Russia, when the Big Dipper descends low to the horizon).

Stars and asterisms

Dubhe (α Ursa Major) means "bear";
Merak (β) - "lower back";
Fekda (γ) - "thigh";
Megrets (δ) - "the beginning of the tail";
Aliot (ε) - the meaning is not clear (but, most likely, this name means "fat tail");
Mizar (ζ) - "sash" or "loincloth".
The last star in the bucket handle is called Benetnash or Alkaid (η); in Arabic, "al-Qaeed banat ours" means "the leader of the mourners." This poetic image is taken from the Arab folk interpretation of the constellation Ursa Major.

In the system of naming stars with Greek letters, the order of the letters simply corresponds to the order of the stars.

The stars Merak and Dubhe, which form the wall of the Bucket, are called pointers, since the straight line drawn through them rests on the North Star (in the constellation Ursa Minor). Six stars of the Bucket have a shine of the 2nd magnitude, and only Megrets is of the 3rd magnitude.

Near Mizar, which was the second among those discovered with a telescope (Giovanni Riccioli in 1650; according to the early 2000s, it was probably observed as a double as early as 1617 by Galileo). A keen eye sees a star of magnitude 4 Alcor (80 Ursa Major), which in Arabic means “forgotten”, or “insignificant”. It is believed that the ability to distinguish the star Alcor has been a recognized test of vigilance since ancient times. The pair of stars Mizar and Alcor is often interpreted as an asterism " horse and rider».

Alula North and Alula South (v and ξ, first jump),
Taniya North and Taniya South (λ and μ, second jump),
Talita North and Talita South (ι and κ, third jump).

how many stars are in the big dipper? and got the best answer

Answer from Daniel Friedman[guru]

The Big Dipper consists of SEVEN stars. .
All the stars of the Bucket have their own Arabic names: Dubhe (α Ursa Major) means "bear"; Merak (β) - "lower back"; Fekda (γ) - "thigh"; Megrets (δ) - "the beginning of the tail"; Aliot (ε) - the meaning is not clear; Mizar (ζ) - "sash" or "loincloth". The last star in the bucket handle is called Benetnash or Alkaid (η); in Arabic, "al-Qaeed our banat" means "the leader of the mourners."
Ursa Major (lat. Ursa Major) is a constellation in the northern hemisphere of the sky. The seven stars of Ursa Major make up a figure resembling a ladle with a handle. The two brightest stars, Aliot and Dubhe, have magnitudes of 1.8 apparent magnitudes. According to the two extreme stars of this figure (α and β), you can find the Polar Star. The best visibility conditions are in March-April. It can be seen throughout Russia.
Ursa Major is the third largest constellation of constellations, seven bright stars of which form the famous Big Dipper; this asterism has been known since antiquity among many nations under different names: Plow, Elk, Wagon, Seven Wise Men, etc.
Another interpretation of the asterism is reflected in the alternative name of the Hearse and the Weepers. Here, asterism is thought of as a funeral procession: in front of the mourners, led by a leader, behind them are a funeral stretcher. This explains the name of the star η Ursa Major "the leader of the mourners".
It is curious that the 5 inner stars of the Bucket (except for the extreme α and η) really form a single group in space - the moving cluster of Ursa Major, which moves quite quickly across the sky; Dubhe and Benetnash are moving in the opposite direction, so the shape of the Dipper changes significantly in about 100,000 years.
The stars Merak and Dubhe, which form the wall of the Bucket, are called Pointers, since the straight line drawn through them rests on the North Star (in the constellation Ursa Minor). All the stars of the Bucket have a brightness of 2-3 magnitudes.
Next to Mizar, which was the second among the double stars discovered in the telescope (G. Riccioli in 1650), the keen eye sees a star of magnitude 4 Alcor (80 Ursa Major), which in Arabic means “forgotten”, or “insignificant”. It is believed that the ability to distinguish the star Alcor has been a recognized test of vigilance since ancient times. The pair of stars Mizar and Alcor is often interpreted as the Horse and Rider asterism.

Answer from 2 answers[guru]

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