When was the first documented sighting of the Big Dipper?

Question

Is there a predicted time when one (or all) the stars in the constellation will burn out? What's the average "life span" of being able to see a star?

Answer 1

Depending on what you call 'documented' - about 3,000 years ago. Most medium-size stars have lifespans in the billions of years. The constellations aren't likely to 'burn out' within the foreseeable future, but the relative positions of the stars do change within the scope of recorded history. In 1000 years or so, our constellation maps won't look quite right to our descendants; in 10,000 years some constellations will not be recognizable.

Answer 2

The Big Dipper is a constellation that has been mused upon and named by various cultures for thousands of years.

The stars of Ursa Major will be around for millions of more years, long after the constellation itself will be recognizable as such from Earth.

The life span of stars varies from a few hundred thousand years for giants up to several billions for Sun-like stars. I suppose there may even be smaller stars than the Sun that last even longer.

That's one of the interesting ironies of stars. The bigger the star the shorter the life. Big stars burn hotter, faster, and brighter.

Answer 3

it has had many names ( and has many now ) the bible called it the 7 stars - check the Wikipedia entry