[Contents], [Among the stars]

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Ursa Major

The Big Bear

This is the constellation everyone in the northern hemisphere should be able to find. The Big Dipper is part of the Big Bear, and it is up most of the year.

• The two stars on the end of the bowl point to the North Star.
• In April and May, it it high overhead in the early evening for most of the northern hemisphere.

But, what about the other bright stars in the Big Bear, of which the Dipper is only a portion?

• Can you trace the hind legs down from the handle-end of the bowl toward Leo?
• Can you find the bear's head and from paw to the west?

With a pair of binoculars you may be able to find the spiral galaxy M81 north and west of the bowl. Here is the way:

• Start at the bottom corner of the bowl nearest the handle;
• Move along the diagonal to the top corner away from the handle;
• Continue one more step in the same diretion and the same distance. This will bring you to M81.

In the center of the curve traced by the handle you will find the star Cor Caroli ("Charles' Heart") in the Hunting Dogs. This is an easy double star in a small telescope. You can use it to find some other interesting sights for binoculars or a small telescope:

• Continue on southward an equal distance from the handle, and you will come to Coma Berenices ("Bernice's Hair") which is a loose cluster of stars.
• Now go back to Cor Caroli and then go half way to Arcturus in the constellation Bootes. There you will find, M3, a fuzzy spherical cluster that shows individual stars in a telescope.
• From Cor Caroli, go 3/4 ofthe way to the star at the end of the Dipper handle. There you will find the spiral galaxy M51, one of the brightest in the sky.