The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1880-01-22
The Starry Dippers.

There are three groups OF stars which
form a fancied resemblance to that uten-
sill commonly Known as the Clipper
One of these is in the constellation Of
the Little Bear, another in tic Great
Bear, and the third, in Ssgittarius, call
el from its situation on the milky way
the Lower Bear, has attracted more than
ordinary attention from the fact that
the pole star, or star nearest to the sta
tionary point in the northern sky, is the
last in the handle Of this dipper.
The dipper Of the Great Bear is COM
posed OF seven bright stars. A line
drawn from the last two stars in the
bowl Of the dipper in this constellation
passes nearly through the north star,
hence these two stars have received the
name of the pointers As the pole
star is the guide Of the mariner on the
trackless ocean, and the forlorn hope OF
the bewildered traveller on the limitless
prairie, these stars possess an interest
" hich attaches TO no other OF the suns
which night reveals in the heavens
Both the Great and Little Dipper are
visible every clear night in this latitude,
sometimes above the pole, and at other
periods below it, but never sinking be-
low the horizon.
The Milk Dipper in Sagittarius, like
other consultations OF the zodiac, is
visible only a part Of the year, being
most conspicuous during the summer
months. The Sun enters this constella-
ton in December. The early navigators
directed their courses by the Pleiades,
or seven stars, probably from their being
easily recognized. But as they were
visible only at certain seasons OF the
year, they were abandoned for the more
reliable guide Of the polar star when
observation had pointed it ont as the
center about which the stars appeared
to revolve.
Besides its usefulness and beauty as
seen by the unaided eye, the c~onstella-
tion Of the Great Bear, Ursa Major, pre-.
sents many objects OF interest when
viewed through the telescope. The
middle star in the handle of the Dipper,
called by the Arabian astronomers Mi
Ear, is a double star, the two having a
period of revolution about the common
center of both Of about sixty years.
This star can be observed to be double
by a common spy glass. A small star,
seen near to Mizar with the naked eye
is not physically connected with the
stars in the Great Bear. The inhabi-
tants of the earth, familiar only with the
phenomenon presented by one sun, can
have but a faint idea of the appearance
presented by two suns, IS is the case
with Mizar, rising and setting, both
appearing in the sky OF the same time,
or one alone causing day and the other
below the horizon.
In the Great Bear there are two sin.
gular nebul@ or cloud, like patches Of
light, one of them with two bright spots
in the center, the other Of an oval form
with a white nucleus. Although so in
teresting to the inhabitants Of the north.
ern ATTITUDES, both from its usefulness
and its being always visible, yet it is
never seen by those residing south of
the equator, and although they rejoice
in beholding tho constellation Of the
Gross, yer it has contributed less to
the safety Of navigation and the extern
tension of commerce and civilization
than the Great and Little Bear which
constantly ajorn the northern sky.