Ursa Minor
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Ursa Minor, also known as the Little Bear, is a constellation located in the far northern sky. As with the Great Bear, the tail of the Little Bear may also be seen as the handle of a ladle, hence the
Ursa Minor as depicted in The Book of Fixed Stars, ca. 1009-1010. Unlike in western representations, the bear is drawn with its tail drooping down.
The constellation Ursa Minor showing the IAU boundaries, the constellation stick figure, and labels for its brightest stars. Astrophotograph by Eckhard Slawik, from NOIRLab's 88 Constellations project.
The constellation Ursa Minor as it can be seen by the naked eye (with connections and label added). Notice the seven stars of Ursa Major that form the Big Dipper and then make a line from the outermost Big Dipper stars (sometimes called the "pointers") to Polaris.
Ursa Minor and Ursa Major in relation to Polaris
Ursa Major
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Ursa Major, also known as the Great Bear, is a constellation in the Northern Sky, whose associated mythology likely dates back into prehistory. Its Latin name means "greater bear", referring to and co
Ursa Minor
…Ursa Minor (Latin for 'Lesser Bear', contrasting with Ursa Major), also known as the Little Bear, is a constellation located in the far northern sky. As with the Great Bear, the tail of the Little Bear may also be…
Ursa Major from King City
The constellation Ursa Major as it can be seen by the unaided eye
The Pinwheel Galaxy