The number of bright stars in the Ursa Major bucket is how many stars are there in the constellation Ursa Major. Ursa Major - names and descriptions of the stars of the constellation What stars are in the constellation Ursa Major

Ursa Major is a constellation that schoolchildren become familiar with in 2nd grade while taking the course “The World Around us.”

It is important for children to learn how to find a star “bucket” in the night sky, because the constellation is a reference point for finding many other celestial objects.

Description of the constellation Ursa Major

Ursa Major (Ursa Major) is a constellation of the northern hemisphere, located in 3rd place in size. The common name for the celestial object is the Big Dipper, as the seven main stars form a shape similar to a ladle with a long handle.

In Eastern Europe and throughout Russia, the object is observed throughout the year(the exception is autumn in the southern regions of Russia, when the constellation is too low above the horizon). Best visibility is in early spring.

The Big Dipper has been known to mankind since ancient times and is significant in many cultures. The constellation is mentioned in the Bible and Homer's story "The Odyssey", its description is in the works of Ptolemy.

Ancient peoples associated the star figure with a camel, plow, boat, sickle, and basket. In Germany, the constellation is called the Great Basket, in China - the Imperial Chariot, in the Netherlands - the Pan, in Arab countries - the Tomb of the Mourners.

How many stars are in the constellation Ursa Major? There are seven in total, and they all have interesting names in different countries. Residents of Mongolia call them the Seven Gods, the Hindus call them the Seven Sages.

In the American Indian imagination, the three stars that form the “bucket handle” represent three hunters chasing a bear. Alpha and beta constellations are also called “pointers”, because with the help of these stars it is not difficult to find the North Star.

Ursa Major Bucket in autumn, winter, spring, summer

At different times of the year, the position of the “ursa bear” is not the same relative to the horizon. For better orientation, you should use a compass.

On a clear spring night, a cluster of stars is directly above the observer. From mid-April, the “bucket” begins to move west. Throughout the summer, the constellation gradually moves to the northwest and descends. In the last days of August, stars can be seen in the north, as low as possible above the horizon.

In the autumn sky, it is noticeable how the constellation slowly rises; during the winter months, as can be seen in the diagram below, moving to the northeast, it rises again in the spring as high as possible above the horizon.

To quickly find the constellation, you should remember that in summer it is in the northwest, in autumn - in the north, in winter - in the northeast, in spring - directly above the observer.

Depending on the time of day, the position of the star figure changes relative not only to the vault of heaven, but also to its own axis. The image below shows that in the evening in January-February the bucket is in the northeast (in the picture on the right) and its handle is pointing downwards.

During the night, the constellation passes through a semicircle, by morning it reaches the northwest (in the picture on the left), and the “handle” rushes upward.

In July-August the daily changes are opposite. The same contrast is observed in the spring and autumn months.

The position of the constellation in the sky is characterized by daily changes specific to each season of the year.

Stars of Ursa Major

Answering the question how many stars are in Ursa Major, the 7 most noticeable points are indicated. This seven forms the same “bucket” that is clearly visible in the night sky.

But in reality the constellation is more extensive and consists of a larger number of points. Stars of lesser brightness form the paws and face of the “bear”.

The seven main stars that are included in the constellation include:

1. Dubhe(“bear”) is the alpha constellation, the second most intense glow. One of two signs to the North Pole. A red giant located 125 light years from Earth.
2. Merak(translated as “loin”) is a beta star, the second pointer to the North Pole. The object is approximately 80 light years away from Earth, slightly larger in size than the Sun, and emits a powerful stream of infrared radiation.
3. Fekda(“hip”) is Gamma, a dwarf star located at a distance of just under 85 light years from our planet.
4. Megrets(from Arabic "base") - delta, a blue dwarf, more than 80 light years from Earth. The object was so named because it is the base of the long tail of the “heavenly beast”.
5. Aliot(“tail”) - epsilon, the brightest point of the constellation, is in 31st place in terms of luminosity of objects visible in the sky (magnitude 1.8). White star, luminosity 108 times higher than that of the Sun. One of 57 celestial objects used in navigation.
6. Mizar(from Arabic “belt”) is a zeta star, the fourth brightest in the “bucket”. The star is double, there is a less bright satellite - Alcor.
7. Alkaid(“leader”) or Benetnash (“crying”) - this star is the third in luminosity, the end of the “bear's tail”. Blue dwarf, distance – 100 light years from our planet.

The total number of objects in the constellation is about 125.

Of these, three pairs of stars located on the same line, located at a short distance from each other, should be noted:

• Alula Borealis (nu constellations) and Alula Australis (xi);
• Tania Borealis (lambda) and Tania Australis (mu);
• Talitha Borealis (iota) and Talitha Australis (kappa).

These three pairs are also called the three gazelle leaps, and in the map below they are located at the bottom of the star cluster.

The figure shows the location of the main seven stars and objects of the Talitha, Taniya and Alula groups.

The Legend of Ursa Major

There is an ancient Greek myth from which one can understand why the constellation Ursa Major is called that way.

Callisto, the heir of King Lycaon, was one of the most beautiful nymphs who served Artemis. Zeus turned his gaze to the beauty. He took the form of Artemis and seduced the girl. The goddess became angry when she noticed in the bath that her beloved nymph was pregnant and drove her away. Unhappy Callisto went to the mountains, where she gave birth to her son Arkas.

But the nymph’s misadventures did not stop there. Hera, the wife of the seducing god, learned about Arcas, the illegitimate son of Zeus, and in revenge turned her rival into a bear. As an adult, Arkas took up hunting. One day in the mountains he encountered a bear, but he could not even think that this was his own mother. The young man wanted to shoot an arrow at the beast, but Zeus stopped him.

The main god did not allow his son to commit a terrible act, but could not break the curse given to the Hero. Taking pity on the unfortunate Callisto, Zeus turned her and her son into stars and sent them to heaven. So the Big Dipper appeared in the sky, and next to her son, the Little Dipper.

How to find Ursa Major in the sky

In the temperate zone of Russia, the “Ursa Bear” is one of the non-setting constellations, as it is located near the North Pole. Finding a “bucket” in the sky in the evening and at night is not difficult. You only need to see a star cluster once to remember what it looks like.

In the photo below you can see what a “bucket” might look like in the night sky.

For those living at the latitude of Moscow, the best time to observe the star cluster is on an April night. In the time interval between 23 and 24 hours, the “bucket” will be at its zenith. The observer will only have to build the figure by points.

If it’s not April outside, then you should look for the “ursa” in other areas of the sky:

• January-February - northeast, angle above the horizon 30 - 70°, the figure is located vertically;
• March – east, angle 50 – 80°, the figure is almost vertical;
• May – west, 60 – 90°, the “bucket” is inclined downwards by 60 – 80°;
• June-July - northwest, elevation above the horizon 40 - 70°, downward inclination of the figure 20 - 60°;
• August-September – northwest (closer to the north), 20 – 50°, the figure is parallel to the horizon;
• October – north, angle 20 – 30°, “bucket” tilted upward by 10 – 30°;
• November-December - northeast (closer to the north), 20 - 40°, the figure is inclined upward by 30 - 80°.

After getting acquainted with Ursa Major, the possibilities for exploring the starry sky expand significantly. The North Star is the first thing you can find if you know the location of the large “bucket”. And Polaris (the alpha star of Ursa Minor) is the main celestial landmark in the cardinal directions.

The most noticeable and well-known constellation to everyone without exception is, of course, the Big Dipper. Or rather, what is clearly visible in the night sky is not itself, but part of it - the Big Dipper. If you look closely, you can see several more stars below and to the right of it, making up the paws and head of the Ursa. The shape of this constellation is really very interesting. After all, no one has ever seen bears with such long tails.

The most visible part of the constellation

The number of bright stars in the Ursa Major bucket is known to everyone. There are exactly seven of them. These stars were named by Arab astronomers back in the Middle Ages. To our ears their “names” actually sound strange:

• Merak.
• Mizar.
• Fegda.
• Megrets.
• Dubge.
• Alioth.
• Benetnash.

From the earth, these stars appear equidistant. In fact, this is far from the case. The number of bright stars in the Big Dipper bucket is seven and all of them are not at equal distances from the Earth and the Sun.

Benetnash is located closest to our planet. Do - Alioth - sixty However, she looks brighter than Benetnash. This is the brightest and most brilliant object of the Bucket. In terms of the apparent intensity of the emitted light, all the stars in this part of the Big Dipper are close to second magnitude stars.

If you look very closely at one of the stars of the Bucket - Mizar, you can notice a faint flicker right next to it. This is explained very simply. Mizar is not an ordinary star, but a double one.

The object located right next to it is called Alcor. From Arabic these two words are translated as “Horse” and “Rider”. Alcor and Mizar are one of the most visible double stars from Earth.

The number of bright stars in the Ursa Major bucket is seven. However, if you look at it through binoculars or a telescope, you can see two more small smears of light. Unlike stars, they look fuzzy and blurry. This is what distant galaxies look like from Earth. Located inside the Ursa are called Whirlpool and Pinwheel.

Big Dipper Rotation

Any schoolchild knows that our Earth does not stand still. Due to its movement, the stars in the sky seem to rotate. Kovsh is no exception in this regard. In winter and autumn, Ursa Major is located in the northern part of the night sky, not too high from the horizon. In spring and summer, this most noticeable constellation can be seen almost at the zenith. Moreover, at this time of year the Big Dipper looks upside down.

Celestial compass

So, the number of bright stars in the Ursa Major bucket is exactly seven. Two of them can serve as reference points for those on the move. The fact is that using them it is easy to detect the most famous star in the world - Polaris. This is not difficult to do. You just need to draw an imaginary line along the two outer stars of the Ladle bowl. Next, you should measure approximately the distance between them. The North Star itself is located almost above the northernmost pole.

In ancient times, when no navigation instruments yet existed, it served as a guide for all sailors and travelers. So, if you suddenly find yourself in a difficult situation in an unfamiliar area, look at the constellation Ursa Major. The polar star found from it will show you the way to the north. This small and not too bright celestial object has rescued those lost in the taiga, desert or sea more than once. The North Star leads Ursa Major's closest neighbor, Ursa Minor. The location of both of these “animals” is considered circumpolar according to the classification of astronomers.

How many stars are there in Ursa Major?

Of course, there is much more to this itself than to its most visible part, the Bucket. At the moment, about 125 of them are known. These are over a hundred bright objects, against the background of which the Sun would look like a small and dim luminous point. The closest star to Earth, unfortunately, is not even visible to the naked eye. It also doesn't have a name. According to astronomical classification, it passes as a 7.5 m star. Light from it travels approximately 8.25 years to Earth. This is almost twice as much as from the closest star to us - Alpha Centauri. Thus, the answer to the question of how many stars are in Ursa Major is simple - more than a hundred and not all of them are visible without a telescope or binoculars. To spot a wild beast with a long tail in the Bucket, you actually need to have a fairly rich imagination.

The Legend of Ursa Major

Of course, there simply cannot be many different kinds of myths and legends about such noticeable objects of the night sky as the stars of the constellation Ursa Major. The most famous legend about her was invented by the Greeks. The chroniclers of this ancient country say that once upon a time the king of Arcadia had an unusually beautiful daughter, Callisto. And this girl was so proud of her attractiveness that she dared to compete with Hera herself, the wife of Zeus. The enraged goddess, using her mystical power, of course, took revenge on the proud woman, turning her into a bear. Callisto's son Arkas, who was returning from a hunt at that time, saw a wild beast at the door of the palace and decided to kill it. However, at the last moment he was stopped by Zeus himself, who was not indifferent to the beauty. After being rescued, Callisto was raised to heaven. The stars of the Ursa Major bucket are what she is. At the same time, the supreme god raised the beauty’s beloved dog to heaven. Nowadays she is known under the name Ursa Minor.

Nearest constellations

The stars in the constellation Ursa Major, or rather in its Bucket, are the most noticeable in the night sky. However, in addition to Ursa Minor, there are several other famous constellations in this area. The same Polar Star can become a reference point for finding one of them. Behind it, on the opposite side from the Big Dipper, at approximately the same distance, flaunts Cassiopeia, familiar to many by name. Outwardly it looks like the Russian letter “M”. At certain positions of the Earth, Cassiopeia “turns over” and takes the form of a Latin W.

Between it and the Little Dipper you can see a not so noticeable, but also well-known. It does not have a clearly visible form. Between Ursa Major and Ursa Minor it is easy to see the wriggling Dragon. The chain of its stars is easily connected on the map by a broken line.

Well, we hope we have answered the main question of the article about how many luminous permanent objects there are in Ursa Major. There are only seven of them in Kovsh. The main constellation includes about 125 distant “suns”.

The constellation Ursa Major is one of the most famous constellations, located in the northern part of the sky. It is classified as circumpolar and is visible all year round in the northern hemisphere, although in autumn in the southern regions it can drop very low to the horizon. The Dipper's Dipper is easy to recognize and can usually be found easily by most people.

This constellation is located in the northern part of the sky and can be found at any time of the year. By winter it drops to the horizon, then begins to rise higher. During the night it manages to describe a large arc, thanks to the daily rotation of the Earth. It is best seen in spring.

Stars of the constellation Ursa Major

The constellation Ursa Major is much larger than many people think, and is not limited to just the well-known “bucket” of seven stars. In terms of area, it ranks 3rd among all constellations, after Hydra and Virgo. Up to 125 stars can be seen with the naked eye.

The stars that form the “bucket” of Ursa Major are the brightest in this constellation, but they also have a brightness of about 2 magnitude, except for delta - its brightness is 3.3m.

All the stars of the “bucket” have their own names - Dubhe, Merak, Fekda, Kaffa, Aliot, Mizar, and Benetnash. The most famous of them, perhaps, is Mizar - the middle star in the handle of the “bucket”. This star is a double star, and with excellent vision you can detect its companion, Alcor.

Stars of the constellation Ursa Major.

Merak and Dubhe are called Pointers - if you draw a line through them and continue it further, it will rest on the North Star. The constellations Ursa Minor and Ursa Major are located nearby, which greatly simplifies the task of finding the North Star.

All the stars in the “bucket” of Ursa Major, due to approximately the same brightness, seem equally distant from us. In fact, this is not true at all. Some of these stars are closer and some are much farther than others. That they form such a figure is simply a matter of chance. Due to the stars' own movement in space, the figure of this constellation changes greatly over time. In 10 thousand years, people will not see such a form in the sky at all, just as it did not exist 10 thousand years ago. However, 5 of these stars fly in the same direction and are similar in their characteristics, which allows us to think about their relationship in terms of a common origin. They are called the Ursa Major moving group of stars.

Ursa Major is a constellation that contains a lot of double and even multiple stars, but most of them are either too dim or too close to be observed with most amateur telescopes. There are also many variable stars here, but they are also quite dim and you will need a telescope or good binoculars to study them.

Mizar - sixfold system

Mizar is the middle star in the handle of the “bucket” of the Big Dipper. It is curious because it is a double star, one of the most famous and easiest to observe. The second component is named Alcor - it is a faint star with a magnitude of 4.02m, located at a distance of 12 arc minutes. Only people with excellent eyesight can see Alcor near Mizar with the naked eye, so this has long been considered a kind of eye test.

For a long time there was no evidence of a physical relationship between Mizar and Alcor, because in space the distance between them is a quarter of a light year, and the orbital motion of the stars is very slow. In 2009, such evidence was obtained, and now it is known that the Mizar-Alcor system is actually not even double, but sixfold!

Mizar itself is visible even in a small telescope as a double star - the distance between its components A and B is 15 arc seconds, and the stars have a magnitude of about 4m. However, each of these components is also a close double system! In total, Mizar is a four-fold star. Component A consists of a pair of hot white stars, each 3.5 times larger and 2.5 times more massive than the Sun. Component B stars are also white stars, but somewhat smaller—twice as large and 1.6 times as massive as the Sun.

Alcor is also not as simple as it seems. It is a binary system consisting of a hot white star twice as massive and larger than the Sun, and a red dwarf star four times as massive and three times smaller than the Sun.

In total, in the Mizar system we can see a curious set of five almost identical hot white stars and one red dwarf. Approximately the same interesting sixfold system is located in the Castor star.

Variable stars in Ursa Major

There are more than 2,800 variable stars known in this constellation, but most of them can only be seen with a powerful telescope. Three of them are quite interesting - W, R and VY of Ursa Major, and can be observed with binoculars or a telescope.

W Ursa Major

This is an eclipsing variable star, similar to the famous Algol, but here everything is much more extreme. Here, a pair of white stars, comparable in size and mass to the sun, are located so close to each other that they practically touch. Due to such a close arrangement, under the influence of the gravity of its neighbor, each star took on an elongated egg-shaped shape, and when orbiting around a common center of gravity, these stars always face each other with one, convex side. In this place they even exchange substance with each other.

As it rotates in orbit, one of the stars in this pair periodically covers (eclipses) the other, and the overall brightness of the system decreases. In addition, the stars are visible sometimes with a wide, elongated side, sometimes with a narrow side. Therefore, the brightness of W Ursa Major is constantly changing from 7.8 to 8.6m. The full period is only 8 hours - so quickly these stars rotate around each other. Therefore, the entire cycle can be observed in one night.

R Ursa Major

This is a variable star that belongs to the class of Miras. Its brightness varies over a very wide range - at its maximum brightness (6.7m) it can be seen with binoculars, and at its minimum (13.4m) you will need a fairly powerful telescope. The period of brightness fluctuations is about 300 days.

VY Ursa Major

Compared to the previous one, this is a fairly bright star - its brightness varies between 5.9 - 6.5m. So it can be easily observed with 8-10x binoculars. This is a semi-regular variable - it has a period of 180 days, but there are irregular fluctuations superimposed on it.

We recommend even just looking at this star, even if you are not going to observe changes in its brightness. The fact is that this is one of the carbon stars, that is, it is a giant with a lot of carbon in its atmosphere. Because of this, the star has a rich red color, which makes it stand out sharply against the background of ordinary stars.

There are a lot of other interesting objects, mainly galaxies, in the constellation Ursa Major. Some of them can be detected even with binoculars, but they will be discussed in.

To study the starry sky more productively, we recommend using.

The most noticeable and well-known constellation to everyone without exception is, of course, the Big Dipper. More precisely, what is clearly visible in the night sky is not itself, but part of it - the Big Dipper. If you look closely, you can see several more stars below and to the right of it, making up the paws and head of the Ursa. The shape of this constellation is really very fascinating. After all, no one has ever seen bears with such long tails.

The number of bright stars in the Ursa Major bucket is clear to everyone. There are exactly seven of them. These stars were named by Arab astrologers back in the Middle Ages.

To our ears their “names” actually sound strange:

• Merak.
• Mizar.
• Fegda.
• Megrets.
• Dubge.
• Alioth.
• Benetnash.

From the earth, these stars appear equidistant. In fact, this is far from the case. The number of bright stars in the Big Dipper bucket is seven and they are all not at equal distances from the Earth and the Sun.

Benetnash is located closest to our planet. The farthest star, Alioth, is sixty light years away. However, it looks brighter than Benetnash. This is the brightest and most brilliant object of the Bucket. In terms of the apparent intensity of the emitted light, all the stars in this part of the Big Dipper are close to 2nd magnitude stars.

Noteworthy facts

If you look very closely at one of the stars of the Bucket, Mizar, you can see a faint flicker right next to it. This is explained very simply. Mizar is not an ordinary star, but a double one.

The object located right next to it is called Alcor. From Arabic these two words are translated as “Horse” and “Rider”. Alcor and Mizar are one of the most visible double stars from Earth.

The number of bright stars in the Ursa Major bucket is seven. However, if you look at it through binoculars or a telescope, you can see two more small smears of light. Unlike stars, they look fuzzy and blurry. This is how distant galaxies look from Earth. Located inside the Ursa are called Whirlpool and Pinwheel.

Rotation of the Huge Bucket

The fact that our Earth does not stand still is clear to any schoolchild. Due to its movement, it seems that the stars in the sky are spinning. Kovsh is no exception in this regard. In winter and autumn, Ursa Major is located in the northern part of the night sky, not too high from the horizon. In spring and summer, this most noticeable constellation can be seen almost at its zenith. Moreover, at this time of year the Big Dipper looks upside down.

Celestial compass

So, the number of bright stars in the Big Dipper bucket is exactly seven. Two of them can serve as reference points for those on the move. The fact is that using them it is easy to detect the most famous star in the world - Polaris. This is not difficult to do. You just need to draw an imaginary line along the two outer stars of the Ladle bowl. Next, you should measure approximately the distance between them. The North Star itself is located almost above the northernmost pole.

In ancient times, when there were no navigational instruments yet, it served as a guide for all sailors and travelers. So, if you suddenly find yourself in a difficult situation in an unfamiliar area, look at the constellation Ursa Major. The polar star found from it will show you the way to the north. This small and not too bright celestial object has rescued those lost in the taiga, desert or sea more than once. The North Star leads Ursa Major's closest neighbor, Ursa Minor. The location of both of these “animals” is considered circumpolar according to the systematization of astrologers.

How many stars are there in Ursa Major?

Of course, there are even more stars in this constellation itself than in its most noticeable part - the Bucket. At the moment, there are about 125 of them. This is over a hundred bright objects, against the background of which the Sun would look like a small and dim luminous point. The closest star to Earth, unfortunately, is not even visible to the naked eye. It also doesn't have a name. According to astronomical systematization, it passes as a 7.5 m star. Light from it travels approximately 8.25 years to Earth. This is almost twice as much as from the closest star to us, Alpha Centauri. Thus, the answer to the question of how many stars are in Ursa Major is simple - more than a hundred and not all of them are visible without a telescope or binoculars. To spot a feral animal with a long tail in the Bucket, you actually need to have a pretty rich imagination.

The Legend of Ursa Major

Of course, there simply cannot be many different kinds of myths and legends about such noticeable objects of the night sky as the stars of the constellation Ursa Major. The most popular legend about her was invented by the Greeks. The chroniclers of this old country say that once upon a time the king of Arcadia had an unusually beautiful daughter, Callisto. And this woman was so proud of her attractiveness that she dared to compete with Hera herself, the wife of Zeus. The enraged goddess, using her mystical power, of course, took revenge on the proud woman, turning her into a bear. Callisto's son Arkas, who was returning from a hunt at that time, saw a wild animal at the door of the palace and decided to kill it. However, at the last moment he was stopped by Zeus himself, who was not indifferent to the beauty. After being rescued, Callisto was raised to heaven. The stars of the Ursa Major bucket are what she is. At the same time, the supreme god raised the beauty’s beloved dog to heaven. Nowadays it is known under the name Ursa Minor.

Nearest constellations

The stars in the constellation Ursa Major, or rather in its Bucket, are the most noticeable in the night sky. However, in addition to Ursa Minor, there are several other recognizable constellations in the area. The same Polar Star can become a reference point for finding one of them. Behind it, on the opposite side from the Big Dipper, at approximately the same distance, flaunts Cassiopeia, familiar to many by name. From the outside, this constellation looks like the Russian letter “M”. At certain positions of the Earth, Cassiopeia “turns over” and takes the form of a Latin W.

Between it and Ursa Minor you can see the not so noticeable, but also well-known constellation Cepheus. It does not have a clearly visible form. Between Ursa Major and Ursa Minor it is easy to see the wriggling Dragon. The chain of its stars is easily connected on the map by a broken line.

Well, we hope we have answered the main question of the article about how many luminous permanent objects there are in Ursa Major. There are only seven of them in Kovsh. The main constellation contains about 125 distant “suns”.

coming constellation Big Dipper. I’m sure it won’t sound loud that this constellation is the most recognizable in the entire northern hemisphere due to its 7 bright stars, shaped like a ladle.

Legend and history

The constellation was named after the nymph Callisto. There are many different legends. One of them has approximately the following content.

According to ancient Greek legend, Zeus saw a beautiful girl, the nymph Callisto, and fell in love with her. Callisto was one of the virgins who accompanied the goddess Diana the huntress. Zeus took the form of Diana and became close to Callisto. Seeing this, the real Diana sent her away from her eyes. Hera, the wife of Zeus, learning about this act, turned the nymph into a bear. Callisto's son, Arkad, met his mother when he grew up. But I didn’t recognize her in the form of a bear. Zeus, fearing that his son would kill his mother, placed both of them in the sky in the form of the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. But even in the sky, Callisto did not know peace. Hera begged the gods not to give the bear the opportunity to plunge into the ocean. Since then, the bear nymph has been circling across the sky, never setting below the horizon.

Ursa Major is one of the most ancient constellations in the starry sky. It has the same name among the Slavs, Indians, and Greeks. Included in the catalog of the starry sky of Claudius Ptolemy "Almagest".

The seven stars of Ursa Major make up a figure that forms a ladle asterism with a handle. But this is only a small part of the constellation itself.

Characteristics

Latin name	Ursa Major
Reduction	UMa
Square	1280 sq. degrees (3rd place)
Right ascension	From 7 h 58 m to 14 h 25 m
Declension	From +29° to +73° 30′
Brightest stars (< 3 m)
Number of stars brighter than 6 m	125
Meteor showers	Ursids
Neighboring constellations
Constellation visibility	+90° to −16°
Hemisphere	Northern
Time to observe the area Belarus, Russia and Ukraine	March

The most interesting objects to observe in the constellation Ursa Major

Constellation Ursa Major

1. Planetary Owl Nebula (M 97)

With a mass of only 0.15 solar, it has a brightness of 9.9 m. It got its name due to its resemblance to the eyes of an owl. It can only be detected with a professional telescope under good weather conditions. According to scientists, the age is approximately 6 thousand years. It is located on the bottom of the bowl of the Big Dipper:

Search for the planetary Owl Nebula

2. Optical double star M 40

Charles Messier in the 18th century was looking for a nebula that was mistakenly described by Jan Hevelius, but in its place he discovered a faint double star. It was decided to include it in the catalog under serial number 40 ( M 40). These are two stars with a brightness of 9 m and 9.3 m. As calculations show, this is an optical double star, that is, both stars are not connected with each other in any way, but are located close along the line of sight. The location on the sky relative to the bucket is shown below:

3. Spiral Galaxy M 101

Popularly a spiral galaxy M 101 nicknamed "Spinner". Has a brightness of 7.7m. It will not be possible to observe it with binoculars due to its weak surface brightness. No matter how hard I tried, it didn’t work. But already in amateur telescopes you can see the bright central part. The photograph shows that M 101 asymmetrical: the galactic core is removed from the center of the disk. This galaxy has been well studied by scientists: it was observed in 1909, 1951 and 1970.

It is not difficult to find in the starry sky, and beginners often start practicing with it.

Spiral Galaxy Pinwheel (M 101)

4. Spiral Galaxy M 108

A galaxy that can be found in semi-professional or professional telescopes. As a rule, it is searched in conjunction with the planetary Owl Nebula (2), due to its close location. Has a brightness of 10.0 m.

5. Spiral Galaxy M 109

In some sources you can find its other name - "Vacuum cleaner". It is located near Gamma Dipper, and despite the fact that it has a brightness of only 9.8 m, you can try to find it with a telescope. M 109 has at least three satellite galaxies of its own. Taking the star Fad (Fecda) as a reference point, we smoothly and slowly move west - after a few seconds we try to recognize and detect the desired galaxy:

M 109 or the Vacuum Cleaner galaxy

6. Pair of galaxies M 81 and M 82

Two nearby galaxies M 81 and M 82

Probably the most key objects to observe are in the constellation Ursa Major. Firstly, they are not difficult to find; secondly, both have an accessible magnitude for observation even with amateur telescopes: 6.9 m and 8.4 m, respectively; thirdly, when in close proximity to each other at low magnification, they can be seen simultaneously in the telescope lens, approximately as shown in the photograph above. An approximate search route is shown below:

The Cigar Galaxy lies above the Bode Nebula.

Considering both galaxies separately, it is worth adding that M 81 or Bode Nebula is a beautiful spiral galaxy. It deforms its “neighbor” with a gravitational field. Thanks to the Hubble telescope, it was possible to study 32 variable stars inside M 81.

Galaxy M 82 or "Cigar" is irregularly shaped (refers to) and weaker than M 81. Active star formation takes place inside it. At the center of the galaxy is a supermassive