Any info on the constellation Ursa Minor?

Question

Any information would be great; I appreciate you trying to help me. Ursa Minor aka the Lesser Bear is a constellation of the northern sky.

Please do not think this is the Little Dipper, because that is an asterism, a distinctive group of stars. Also, please list your sources so I can insert them in the bibliography. It's not that I can't find any info, I was just wondering if there was any more I missed because I only have one page of notes and I have to give a 5 min. presentation. Again, any information would be helpful. Thanx ahead of time!

Melodie

Answer 1

The two Bears, Ursa Major and this constellation Ursa Minor and the whole Northern Hemisphere sky, are seen to revolve around a star that doesn't appear to move; Polaris, the North Star; located at the tip of the tail of the Little bear or Little Dipper and the orientation of the bear figures changes dramatically through the course of the night. From earliest times the two bears, Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, have been paired together. With the exception of Polaris, the seven stars making up the Little Dipper, or Lesser Bear, are much fainter than the seven star making up Ursa Major, the Big Dipper, which is the most prominent group of stars in the sky. Although the Little Bear is famous as the home of the Pole Star, it was in fact invented in the 6th century B.C. as a guide to sailors and was created from the Dragon's wing, now long forgotten, which it replaced. The Little Bear is enclosed on three sides by the coils of the Dragon. To many cultures Ursa Minor was the Hole in which the earth's axle found its bearing.
http://www.winshop.com.au/annew/UrsaMinor.html


Other quick links to help out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursa_Minor
http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/constellations/Ursa_Minor.html

Answer 2

It's a useful constellation for amateur astronomers because the main stars have magnitudes of 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 - it's a handy test of how clear and dark the skies are.

Polaris, the pole star is in Ursa Minor and enables you to find north. It's also a double star and slightly variable i.e. its brightness changes.

Answer 3

It is one of the 88 modern constellations, and was also one of the 48 listed by Ptolemy. It is notable as the location of the north celestial pole, although this will change after some centuries due to the precession of the equinoxes.