Stevens County tribune. (Morris, Minn.) 1877-1880, 1880-03-04
The Starry DiDDers.

There are three groups of stars which
form a fancied resemblance to that uten-
sill commonly known as the dipper. One
of these is in the constellation Of the Lit
tie Bear, another in the Great Bear and
the third, IN Sagittarius, called from its
situation On the Milky Way, the Lower
Bear, has attracted more than ordinary
attention from the fact that the Pole
Star, or the star nearest to the stationary
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
eler on the limitless prairie, these stars
| possess an interest which 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 below the horizon.
The Milk Dipper in Sag1ttarius, like
other consultations of the Zodiac, is visl-
BILE only part of the year, being most
conspicuous during the summer months.
The sun enters this constellation in De-
cember. The early nav1gators directed
their courses by the Pleiades, Or seven
stars probably from there Deing easily
recognized. But as they were visible
only at certain seasons of the year, they
were abandoned for more reliable guide
of the Polar Star when observation had
pointed it out as the centre about which
the stars appeared to revolve.
That the group Of stars in the Great
Bear has always attracted attention, is
shown by the names which it has received
at different times, and by different ma
tons. By The Romans it was called the
Septentrio, Seven Worker Oxen; by the
Arabians, the Bier and Mourners; in the
Middle Ages, Charles Vain and the
Plough; In the more recent times, the
Butchers Cleaver, and at the present is
best known by the name of the Dipper
Besides its usefulness and beauty as
seen by the unaided eye the constella
ton of the Great Bear, Ursa Major, pre-
sents many objects of interest when
viewed through the telescope. The mid
die star, in the handle of the Dipper
called by the Arabian astronomers Mizar
| is double star the two having period
J of revolution about the common centre
, of both of about sixty years. This sta
can be observed to be double by com
3 mon spy glass. A small star, seen nea
5 to Mizar with the naked eye, is not ply
4; sically con 1ected with the stars in tn,
l Great Bear. The inhabitants OF the earth
familiar only with the phenomenon pre-
+, sented by one sun, can have but fain
7 idea of the appearance presented by TIVE
8 suns, as in the case with Mizar, rising ant
setting, both appearing in the sky at tn
+ same time, or one alone causing day AMI
!, the other below the horizon.
S In the Great Bear there are two singu
!, lar nebul@ or cloud-like patches of light
0 one of them with two bright spots in tn
f centre, the other OF an oval form with
G white nucleus. Although so interesting
to the inhabitants of the northern lati
II tudes, both from its usefulness and it
s being always visible, yet it is never see
by those residing south of the equato
/, and although they rejoice in beholdin
d the constellation of the Cross, even it hs
/ contributed less to the safety of navigs
u ton and the extension of commerce an
e civilization than the Great and Lift
y Bear, which constantly adorn the nortl
ern sky.
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