constellation Ursa Minor contains only twenty five stars that can be seen with the naked eye.It is not particularly bright galaxies or nebulae, and it does not contain any clusters.The main feature of the constellation Ursa Minor is not the existence of such things, but the fact that it can easily be seen at any time of the year.
In astrology, the Sumerians, Assyrians and Babylonians, it was called "luminaries Libra Anu," or "heavenly scales."In Greek mythology, Ursa Minor - a constellation associated with the nymph Callisto.According to the Greek scientist Ptolemy, his star at its "impact" like Venus and Saturn to a certain extent.
Speaking about the Greek myths, not to mention the relation of the heavenly element, as the constellation Ursa Minor, and the legend of the birth of the god Zeus.Earth Goddess Gaia, saving his son from his father Kronos, who devoured his own children, took a small Zeus on Mount Ida.There, in a sacred cave, Gaia has left him in the care of the nymphs and Melissa cynosura.In gratitude, becoming the supreme god and the Olympians, Thunder Melissa lifted to the sky as the Big Dipper, and cynosura - as a Minor.In the ancient Greek maps Ursa Minor and is called cynosura.
constellation Ursa Minor is related to its "big brother" - the Great Bear.They are known for interesting stellar figures (so-called buckets).It Big and Small Dipper anciently used in navigation.In the southern latitudes of the North Pole is quite "inclined".Therefore, the North Star, which marks a tip of the tail of Ursa Minor, is to be very low, right near the horizon.
on excellent mosaic of this heavenly miracle, as the constellation Ursa Minor, is dominated by a few bright stars - kochab (it is called beta Dipper), which is visible on the right side, and the North Star on the left, on the tip of the handle of the Small Dipper pointing to the Northpole.
Another interesting attraction can be called asterism Little Hanger.It's kind of a small copy of another asterism called a hanger (located in the constellation Vulpecula).Another asterism of the constellation can be called a diamond ring.Stars form something like a ring around the North Star.
constellation Ursa Minor and its nebula are located at a distance of a hundred light-years to our planet Earth.The same distance - to the North Star and the north pole of the world.Thin clouds of gas and dust are illuminated at once all the stars in our galaxy, and not to any particular individual stars.
This constellation is fairly small, it has no huge emission nebulae, dust or dark clouds, as this constellation is on the outskirts of the Milky Way, away from most of the others.Nevertheless, it is very thin vualepodobnye penetrate dust and gas clusters and nebulae.To see them is very difficult, and to get a quality picture of the sky with the image of these clusters, unfortunately, is almost impossible.
