Ursa Minor is a constellation located in the Northern Hemisphere of the sky. This beautiful constellation looks like a small bucket. Ursa Minor is notable for the fact that it includes a star pointing to the North Pole - Polar. In total, about forty stars shine in the constellation. The heavenly bodies can be seen with the naked eye - you just need to know how to find them in the sky.
Instructions
Step 1
Focus on the North Star. It must be remembered that Ursa Minor is a constellation located high enough above the horizon. Residents of Russia can observe it throughout the year. Surrounding Ursa Minor is the Giraffe, Cepheus and the Dragon - these are constellations that have practically no bright stars. Therefore, in search of the Ursa Minor, one should be guided precisely by the Polar Star, which is difficult to miss in the sky. By the way, take note: the Polar Star has a pronounced yellowish color, and this is noticeable even when you look at it with ordinary binoculars. People have been guided by this star since ancient times: once sailors used the Pole Star for navigation purposes.
Step 2
Look for Ursa Minor in the nearby constellation Ursa Major. Find the two extreme stars in the Big Dipper - Merak and Dubhe. Having found these stars, draw a mental line up through them - the length of this line should be about five times greater than the distance between the indicated stars. This "line" will run near the Pole Star. Next, you need to look down the small bucket - and thus find the entire constellation.
Step 3
By the way, it is worth knowing that the constellation Ursa Minor is interesting not only for its appearance. In addition, a very beautiful ancient Greek legend about the birth of Zeus is associated with him. It is believed that Zeus's mother, Gaia, decided to hide her son from his father Crohn, who ate his children. The goddess took the newborn to the top of the mountain, where the nymphs lived. The mother of the nymphs Melissa raised Zeus, and in gratitude he lifted her up to heaven and made the most beautiful constellation. There is another version of the legend: the nymph Callisto, the beloved of Zeus, and their common son Arkad were turned into the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.
