Friday May 24, 2024

Delving into the Dipper (late evening)

The Big Dipper will dangle from the zenith in the northwestern sky in late evening. Its seven bright stars are only a portion of a large constellation called Ursa Major (the Big Bear). Fainter stars located east of the dipper
form the bear's head and neck, and its front and rear legs. The bowl of the dipper resembles a saddle on the bear's back. The dipper's handle doubles as the bear's tail. Astronomers believe that five of the stars in the dipper - Mizar, Alioth, Merak, Megrez, and Phecda, formed together about 300 million years ago, and are still travelling through space together as siblings D
hence their similar distances of about 80 light-years from Earth.

(Data courtesy of Starry Night)
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