Finally Found The Little Dipper

Finally Found The Little Dipper

Earlier this week I wrote about my problems finding The Little Dipper (a.k.a. Ursa Minor, The Little Bear).  The past few nights have offered good views of the sky, so I went outside and, sure enough, I finally managed to “size” The Little Dipper properly.  Polaris is easy to find. In hindsight, my main issue was that I always thought this constellation was much smaller than it really is (being “little”).  But by using the asterism The Big Dipper (part of Ursa Major) as a guide, it became fairly obvious where the two end stars Kochab and Pherkad were. They are easily visible to me without an optical aid.

So in between Polaris and the Kochab/Pherkad set are the other four points of The Little Dipper.  They are much fainter and I could not obviously see them at early night with a big Moon, though I suspect I saw at least one.  I will wait for a dark (no Moon) night with my eyes properly adjusted to seek the rest of this constellation.  The great news is, from my location in the U.S.A, The Little Dipper is visible all year, every day, clouds permitting.

Paul

Paul

I write frequently about astrophotography, technology advice, and my other interests like science fiction. I have over 30 years of experience in computer programming, information technology, and project management.

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