Large bear (bucket) in autumn: photo

Since ancient times people have been watching the night sky. There is something invariably attractive in the process of contemplating a clear month and distant stars. All this is done on the soul well and peacefully.

An inquisitive observer will sooner or later begin to find patterns in the firmament - bizarre clusters of stars that form various figures. Do not leave his attention and the constellation Ursa Major. We will discuss it in detail in our article.

The Big Dipper in the Representation of Ancient People

The Big Dipper is one of the oldest constellations of the night sky. Virtually all peoples in the culture have references to this amazing cluster of stars.

The first to pay attention to the Indians, giving the beautiful name "Sapta Rishi", which in Sanskrit means "seven wise men". In Chinese astronomy, the constellation was called the "Northern Bucket". Resourceful Chinese began to use it for timing.

The most interesting explanation for the beautiful cluster of stars in the sky was the Greeks. Of course, the Big Dipper is dedicated to the myth. It says that the powerful Zeus fell in love with the beautiful nymph Callisto. The power goddess Hera, the wife of Zeus, did not like it. To save the beautiful girl from the vengeance of her domineering wife, God of Thunder turned her into a Bear and sent him to live in heaven. Now beautiful Callisto pleases all fans of the starry sky with its soft shimmering radiance.

Glowing bucket in the night sky

Now consider the bucket of the Great Bear. In autumn it is the most beautiful. From the scientific point of view, the constellation is the third in area after the Hydra and Virgo. Its size is 1280 square degrees. The Big Dipper (the bucket, the photo of which is presented below) has a visible part of seven bright stars. We list them:

• Dubha - the Bear;
• Merak - Loin;
• Fekda - Thigh;
• Megrec - The Beginning of the Tail;
• Aliot-Kurdyuk;
• Mizar - The loincloth;
• Benetnash is the leader of mourners.

All names are Arabic and mean 7 bright stars forming the legendary Bucket.

Location in the sky

The starry sky is inconceivable without the constellation The great bear. The dipper is located in the northern part of the sky in autumn. It can be observed between 3-4 hours of night above the north-eastern horizon. A good guide will serve as his pen, indicating the place of sunrise.

The Big Dipper - the way to cognition of astronomy

Beginners need to learn how to find the Big Dipper bucket in the fall (the constellation photo below). This cluster of stars is one of the most noticeable in the night sky. Such an exercise will be a good preparation for young astronomy enthusiasts for a more detailed study of the starry sky, namely:

• To finding less visible constellations in the sky. Advanced astronomers use the Big Dipper as a reference point for finding other stars;
• To an interesting observation of the sky during the year. You can see how the familiar stars change their location, where the month rises, etc .;
• To the first calculations. Over time, a person remembers the distance between the angular stars of the bucket;
• To the first skills of working with a hand-held telescope. If there is one, the young observer of the sky will find the stars that are invisible to the ordinary eye. Here we have in mind double and variable stars, there is a chance even to notice the exploding galaxy M82.

Large bear: bucket in autumn

The location of the constellations largely depends on the time of the year. The Big Dipper (ladle) in the autumn is not an exception to the rules.

The autumn sky is not rich in stars. Even the traditionally bright constellation of the Big Dipper glows dimly. The Big Dipper bucket is located in the north under the North Star in autumn; Its tail is directed to the west. At the zenith stands Cassiopeia.

But in the east the constellation Pleiades rises high, under it the bright asterisk Aldebaran, which is in the constellation of Taurus, shines brightly. At this time two bright stars rise in the northeast: an experienced specialist in the starry sky will immediately recognize in them Gemini.

Constellations of the Lion and the Virgin hide behind the Earth, they can not be seen at all. In the west of the Big Dipper, you can discern the hardly visible constellation of the Eagle.

So, we will sum up what constellations can be seen on the autumn night sky in its northern part:

• The Great Dipper;
• The Little Dipper;
• Gemini;
• Taurus;
• Lyre and Swans.

Geometry of the starry sky

Finding the Big Dipper bucket in the fall, you can get carried away and devote an hour or two to finding other familiar stars. The most important thing is a sincere desire, and, of course, a map of the night sky will not hurt.

Turn our gaze to the southern part of the sky. It is there that every autumn ascend Andromeda and Pegasus. In the upper left corner of the sky are two stars of the first constellation, followed by three stars of the second.

Andromeda consists of four stars, located at a great distance from each other. The constellation itself is located near Cassiopeia. Andromeda is somewhat remotely like a bow figure. Sent the last akkurat towards the Pleiades and Taurus. Even there is a feeling that an arrow will now fly out of the bow and fly to the left, towards the indicated constellations. But this, of course, is not so. It's just a game of imagination that has nothing to do with the majestic starry sky.

Under Andromeda you can see two small stars - it's Aries. And under it scattered a lot of glowing points - this is the constellation of China. You can see Aries and Kita only during clear weather.

In Pegasus, in addition to three bright stars, it is worth remembering two more: they are located to the right. The very figure of Pegasus is like a horn. One gets the impression that they want to hit Swan.

Picture: Big Dipper bucket in autumn

Nothing is as conducive to creativity as the observation of a clear sky. Therefore, there is a high probability that you will "break" to engage in some creative activity after contemplation of the night lights. Someone wants to write a fascinating story about their nightly experience, someone - to dance to your favorite music, and someone - to make a sketch of a glowing bucket.

We will tell about the last kind of creative activity - about the drawing of the Bear.

Draw a bucket is elementary, because it's just a geometric figure, consisting of an inverted trapezoid and a broken straight line. But with the background, location and color of the picture you can experiment to your taste. Here everyone will have their own vision of color and the location of the fanciful figure on a piece of paper.

Try to invest in the drawing of some of your feelings, and then it will turn out really interesting. As you can see, it's not difficult to draw a bucket of the Great Bear in the autumn.

The Great Bear in Culture

• The constellation is an asterism. This term means a funeral procession, followed by 2 stars of benetash (2 mourners);
• The oldest name of the Great Bear is Arktos. Refers to the prehistoric era of nomadic hunters. This once again confirms that people of all ages loved the starry sky;
• Big Dipper (Dipper in Autumn) is depicted on the flag of Alaska;
• Associated with the anime. A character from the popular manga about Kenshiro wears a scar on his chest in the form of a bucket. To date, the Russian viewer can enjoy the space three-part novel "Fist of the North Star: New Era";
• In the Museum of Modern Art there is a picture "Big Bear". It is called so because cigarettes of smoking people are located in the sequence forming the figure of the same bucket.