What astronomer founded the big dipper?

Answer 1

The most ancient of mankind created the constellations, they didn't have TV then so they probably looked at the stars alot.

Answer 2

Well if you mean what astronomer discovered the Big Dipper first, I think it's a very hard question to answer. The Big Dipper is only the name given to that particular asterism, or group of stars, in North America.
People all over the world have different names for it and also see it in a different way or even as a different picture. Some people see the Big Dipper or a large ladle, some people see a wagon, some as a bear. Different cultures have looked at the stars all the way back as far as people have been around and have called it many different things depending on what they see and what language they speak. So identifying who called it what first is a difficult thing to do.

If you mean who named the Big Dipper first, that is also hard to say, I don't think any one person can be awarded that title, but the name Big Dipper was thought to have originated from the African name for the same stars which is 'Drinking Gourd'. The African people, brought over to this country during times of slavery, were thought to have used the name here and it probably stuck.
Big Dipper is kind of simliar to the meaning of Drinking Gourd because they are both tools used for collecting water or some sort of liquid.
Hope that helps.

wikipedia.com has more info on it.

Answer 3

The Big Dipper (as most of the serious answerers pointed out) is not a constellation, nor is it known who first called it a dipper.

However, it is an asterism, which is a group of stars that look (to some) like some familiar object. All but two of the stars in the Big Dipper (the handle end and the upper star of the outside of the dipper itself) are also part of a large star cluster, and the five stars that are clearly visible are moving in roughly the same direction. The two others are not. It is the largest open cluster visible to us.

Answer 4

The big dipper is a figment of someone's imagination. In UK and other English speaking parts of the world it is called the Plough (Plow), because to other people it looks like one of those old horse drawn ploughs.

To astronomers it is not either. The stars are part of a larger constellation called Ursa Major - the Great Bear. This was simply that some ancient people saw the whole thing as big bear.

You'll find that the Chinese saw soemthing else. So, it is not a case of discovery. It is someone's imagination, like you may see castles in the clouds, someone else might see Prsident Bush's face in the same cloud.

Answer 5

Nobody "found" the big dipper or any other constellation for that matter since constellations are not real objects in the sky, they're just groups of random stars that for the most part are nowhere near each other relative to other stars. They were invented long ago for navigational purposes. You can create your own constellation if you want, just group a bunch of stars together that make a familiar shape.

Answer 6

No one "founded" the big dipper. The constellation, also called Ursa Major or the "Great Bear" has been seen since before man evolved.

Answer 7

The chinese mapped most of the stars back in ancient times. Others since have taken credit for their findings.

Answer 8

Harry Reams