Skywatch: Dippers and bears flying high

Even if you re new to stargazing no doubt you ve seen the seven bright stars that outline the Big Dipper and this time of year they re easy to find As soon as it s dark enough after sunset look high in the northern sky near the overhead zenith for the nearly upside-down Big Dipper Believe it or not the Big Dipper as bright and well-known as it is is not an official constellation Back in the s astronomers from around the world got together and agreed on a standard set of constellations and the Big Dipper wasn t one of them You would think the the greater part famous star pattern known would rate the title of constellation but instead it s what astronomers call an asterism Mike Lynch The Big Dipper my favorite asterism is truly part of the official constellation known by its Latin name as Ursa Major or in English as the Big Bear Ursa Major is one of the largest constellations in the heavens and the Big Dipper is the brightest part making up the rear end and the tail of the bear This is a great time to see the nearly upside-down Big Bear because it s so high in the sky Even if you re stargazing in a light-polluted urban or suburban locale you still have a really good chance to see all of Ursa Major It will take a bit of work and a little bit of imagination though I also highly recommend a calm lawn chair to lie back on That will make it much easier on your neck and back Start your celestial Big Bear hunt using the Big Dipper The handle of the dipper outlines the unusually long tail of the bear and the four stars that outline the pot are the bear s rear end Look just to the lower left of the pot section for three dimmer stars forming a skinny triangle that allegedly outlines the Big Bear s head That s one of the dimmest parts of the Big Bear so once you ve seen that the rest of Ursa Major should be easy From that skinny triangle look to the upper left for two stars right next to each other that should jump right out at you These are called Talitha and Al Kapra and they mark the bear s front paw Between the front paw stars and the triangular head is a star that makes up the bear s knee Once you spot that you ve seen one of the front legs of Ursa Major Unfortunately there are no stars that make up the other front leg To see that second front leg you really have to put your imagination in overdrive There are two curved lines of stars that outline the Bear s back legs but the one in the foreground is much easier to see Unless you re in the dark countryside I wouldn t even bother with the other back leg Its stars are just too faint To see the back leg in the foreground go back to Talitha and Al Kapra that make up the front leg and gaze to the upper right of those stars for two more stars right next to each other Those are Tanis Borealis and Tanis Australis that make up the back paw They re not quite as close to each other as Talitha and Al Kapra but they re still in a pretty close embrace From Tanna Borealis and Tanis Australis look for two more stars that form a curved line to the lower right that links up with the bright star Phecda and the corner of the Big Dipper s pot or the rear end of Ursa Major Once you see this rear leg you ve done it You ve just seen the Big Bear one of the largest constellations in the heavens The seven stars that make up the Little Dipper are the same seven that outline the Little Bear otherwise known as Ursa Minor The Little Dipper is not nearly as easy to see as the Big Dipper especially if you re viewing from light-polluted areas The best way to see the Little Dipper or Little Bear is to find Polaris the North Star at the end of the handle of the Little Dipper or the end of the tail of the Little Bear Polaris is not the brightest star in our sky but it is a very critical one because it shines directly above the Earth s North Pole As the Earth spins on its axis once every hours it appears to us that all of the stars in the sky whirl around the North Star in the same period I call it the Lynchpin of the sky Use Dubhe and Merak the two bright stars in the pot of the Big Dipper as pointer stars to Polaris The North Star should be about three of your fist-widths at arm s length to the lower right of Dubhe and Merak The Little Dipper will be below the Big Dipper in the early evening this time of year and is nearly standing on its handle Polaris is at the end of the handle The next-brightest stars you see to the upper right of Polaris are Kochab and Pherkad The line between these stars makes up the outer edge of the Little Dipper s pot opposite the handle Your mission and it s not an easy one is to find the four very dim stars between Polaris and Kochab Pherkad that make up the rest of the pot and handle of the Little Dipper Ursa Major and Ursa Minor the Bears of the sky have quite a story I ll cover that tale of the tails in a future Skywatch column Comet Swan Update Comet SWAN is a new comet that was discovered this past March It was hoped that it would become visible this week maybe even with the naked eye Unfortunately there are strong indications that the comet is urgent up as it nears the sun making it extremely hard or impossible to see Hopefully a new comet will show up in the near future that will put on a show Fingers crossed Mike Lynch is an amateur astronomer and retired broadcast meteorologist for WCCO Radio in Minneapolis St Paul He is the author of Stars a Month by Month Tour of the Constellations published by Adventure Publications and available at bookstores and adventurepublications net Mike is available for private star parties You can contact him at mikewlynch comcast net Related Articles Skywatch A crow a cup and a water snake Skywatch The two brightest stars and a guest star Skywatch Celestial twins proudly sharing Orion s shoulders Skywatch Out with the hunter In with the Lion Skywatch Your universe through binoculars