Ursa Major - The Big Bear

The ancient Greeks and some Native American groups both called these stars a big bear. The Big Dipper is only the rear end and tail of the bear. But have you ever seen a bear with a tail like that? It looks more like a raccoon or an angry cat to me. Well, imagine you're sitting around the campfire thousands of years ago and an old shaman begins to tell you the tale of the Big Bear...

"Once upon a time, a long long time ago there was a young hunter. It had been a cold and dark winter and the village was on the brink of starvation. So they sent their best hunter out in search of food. He collected his bow and arrows and hiked off down the path. He hiked and hiked and hiked and hiked until he came to a dangerous section of the path along the ridge of a mountain - cliffs on each side. As he looked ahead there was a humongous momma bear laying in his path taking a nap (insert snoring noises please). The hunter couldn't go around the bear, over the bear, or under the bear. And he couldn't turn back home foodless as he was. What to do?

The hunter decided that action needed to be taken. Since desperate times call for desperate measures he snuck up on that momma bear and grabbed her by her short, stubby tail and began swinging him around over his head (he was a strong guy!). And as the bear was twirling around and around a funny thing began to happen. The bear's tail started stretching and stretching until finally the hunter let go - whoosh! The bear flew up, up, up so high that she stuck - splat! - into the sky where she slowly turned into the stars we see today. And that is how the Big Bear got her long tail."

People loved this story so much that they wanted to hear more - a sequel. Stay tuned for Part II, the Bear Strikes Back!

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BOOTES and the PLOW

You may have noticed a lone bright star in the east after sunset. This is Arcturus, the brightest star in the constellation Boötes. This kite-shaped constellation first appears in the spring sky looking like a wide tie hanging from the invisible neck of an invisible businessman. Boötes is no yuppie bustling through traffic but a Herdsman, Bear-Driver, or Inventor of the Plow.

First let's talk about how to pronounce this constellation. It is a 3-syllable name; "Bo-oh-teez," not "Boots," and please never call him, "Booties."

One myth portrays Boötes as an inventive man who overcomes adversity. Once upon a time Bootes was walking through the woods - on his way to grandma’s house - when he was robbed by his brother. Not only that, when he returned home, he discovered that his good-for-nothing, thief-brother had taken possession of everything he owned. House. Land. Wife. Everything. Undaunted, Bootes finds a new place to live but is dead broke. He can’t rub one nickel together. As a poor farmer, he invents a plow that can be pulled by oxen. His invention spreads around the globe, and after patenting it, Bootes can afford anything. This story fits in extremely well with the old English view of the Big Dipper as a Big Plow. Boötes can be seen right behind the plow pushing it around the pole.

The easiest way to find Boötes is to find his brightest star, Arcturus. Nothing could be easier. First, find the handle of the Big Dipper and use it as a pointer. Follow the arc of the handle and continue this arc until you run into Arcturus. Remember the catchy saying, "Follow the arc to Arcturus," and you'll find Boötes.



This is Boötes as a Herdsman with his dogs. Next time I may tell you about the mop of hair under the dogs in this picture.
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The Big Dipper - Rutila Major (my bad Latin translation)

For the next few weeks we will be focusing on the northern sky and the stars that are up most of the year. This is a great time to find the Big Dipper. The seven unmistakable stars hang high in the northwest after sunset (upside-down). If you locate a dipper which one is it? Big or Little? If you live in or near a city - no need to fear. You can only see the Big Dipper. Four of the seven stars of the Little Dipper are too faint to see in a light polluted sky.

Different cultures imagined quite different pictures in these stars. In medieval Europe it was a death cart or wagon. Some Native American groups called it the "Thigh of an Ox" while others used it as a eye test (see if you can see an extra star hovering just above one of the seven). Egyptians called it a coffin. African Americans called it the "Drinking Gourd". In England they still call it The Plow.

Here is a very famous painting by Vincent van Gogh called "Starry Night over the Rhone". It's pretty obvious where the Big Dipper is. Van Gogh included stars in several of his paintings including Starry Night and Cafe Terrace at Night.
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If you have trouble seeing any of those things in the Big Dipper, try to modernize it. Maybe to you it will look like a lawn mower, shopping cart, or question mark. Don't ask me why that shopping cart is in a jacuzzi...

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IT'S SATURN SEASON

Right click on this and open in a new window and try to find the Earth!

The rings of Saturn are open for business.  As we head into May, the plane, its 170,000 mile-diameter ring system, and multitude of moons are back in prime-time for you to see this month.

You don’t need a telescope to find Saturn.  It shines like a steady, yellow “star” in the southeast near a blue star called Spica.  Here's how you find it:

First find the Big Dipper high in the northeastern sky.  Connect an arc through the handle stars of the Big Dipper and continue that arc to a really bright star called Arcturus ("Follow the Arc to Arcturus!").  Then keep going in a straighter line along the horizon and bingo you'll find Saturn and Spica ("Speed on to Saturn").

A Saturnian Storm

Now to see the rings, you’ll need to look through a good telescope.  Then you can witness the opening season of the solar system’s greatest wonder.  You can see the planet, the rings, the shadow of the rings, the gaps in the rings, the moons... Okay, I'm getting a little excited here, but this is the best planet ever.  When I first saw Saturn in a telescope it changed my life.  There it sat, a perfect cartoon-planet in a sea of blackness.  I knew then that I was destined to be an astronomer.  Check it out tonight!
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Finding Direction - Your North Star

 

Found

 Let's say you're lost (on a mysterious island or in the city). What do you do?  The stars can guide you my friends...

Although the Little Dipper is faint, and the Little Bear is dim, this constellation holds the most famous star in the sky. Polaris, also known as the North Star, is the guide of travelers, stargazers, and all-around lovers of the night. Polaris is the star on the end of the Little Dipper's handle or the Little Bear outrageously long, stretched-out tail.

Contrary to popular opinion, the North Star is NOT the brightest star in the sky. In fact it ranks about 48th in brightness. Through the city haze, it is just barely visible.

The best way to find the North Star is to use the brighter stars of the Big Dipper to guide you. Follow the two stars at the end of the Big Dipper's spoon (named Merak and Dubhe) and they will point you to Polaris. This is called the "Pointer Star Method" and can help you find your way around many parts of the sky - even over to Cassiopeia.

Around Cincinnati the North Star is always about halfway up in the sky. Now that you can find the North Star, you'll never be lost again!

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