big dipper

     

The seven brightest stars of the constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear, form a well-known asterism that has been recognize as a distinct grouping in many cultures from time immemorial.

Trivia about big dipper

  • "Follow the Drinking Gourd" tells how slaves escaped to freedom guided by a song about this star group
  • Alaska's flag features the North Star as well as this stellar configuration
  • The constellation Ursa Major, meaning the "great bear", is better known by this name
  • Ursa Major contains this smaller constellation
  • (Sarah of the Clue Crew shows a painting on the monitor.) Though not actually seen in that part of the sky, in Van Gogh's "Starry Night over the Rhone", you can clearly see this famous grouping, including Merak
  • An imaginary line extends north from the 2 stars at the front of the "cup" of this star group and points to Polaris
  • In France this feature of the night sky is known as "le casserole"