Big Dipper

The Big Dipper (US, Canada) or the Plough (UK, Ireland) is a large asterism consisting of seven bright stars of the constellation Ursa Major; six of them are of second magnitude and one, Megrez (δ), of third magnitude. Four define a 'bowl' or 'body' and three define a 'handle' or 'head'. It is recognized as a distinct grouping in many cultures. The Big Dipper (US, Canada) or the Plough (UK, Ireland) is a large asterism consisting of seven bright stars of the constellation Ursa Major; six of them are of second magnitude and one, Megrez (δ), of third magnitude. Four define a 'bowl' or 'body' and three define a 'handle' or 'head'. It is recognized as a distinct grouping in many cultures. The North Star (Polaris), the current northern pole star and the tip of the handle of the Little Dipper (Little Bear), can be located by extending an imaginary line through the front two stars of the asterism, Merak (β) and Dubhe (α). This makes it useful in celestial navigation. The constellation of Ursa Major (Latin: Greater Bear) has been seen as a bear, a wagon, or a ladle.The 'bear' tradition is Greek, but apparently the name 'bear' has parallels in Siberian or North American traditions. The name 'Bear' is Homeric, and apparently native to Greece, while the 'Wain' tradition is Mesopotamian.Book XVIII of Homer's Iliad mentions it as 'the Bear, which men also call the Wain'. In Latin, these seven stars were known as the 'Seven Oxen' (septentriones, from septem triōnēs). Classical Greek mythography identified the 'Bear' as the nymph Callisto, changed into a she-bear by Hera, the jealous wife of Zeus. In Ireland and the United Kingdom, this pattern is known as the Plough. The symbol of the Starry Plough has been used as a political symbol by Irish Republican and left wing movements. Former names include the Great Wain (i.e., wagon) or Butcher's Cleaver. The terms Charles's Wain and Charles his Wain are derived from the still older Carlswæn. A folk etymology holds that this derived from Charlemagne, but the name is common to all the Germanic languages and intended the churls' wagon (i.e., 'the men's wagon'), in contrast with the women's wagon (the Little Dipper). An older 'Odin's Wain' may have preceded these Nordic designations. In German, it is known as the 'Great Wagon' (Großer Wagen) and, less often, the 'Great Bear' (Großer Bär). In Scandinavia, it is known by variations of 'Charles's Wagon' (Karlavagnen, Karlsvogna, or Karlsvognen), but also the 'Great Bear' (Stora Björn). In Dutch, its official name is the 'Great Bear' (Grote Beer), but it is popularly known as the 'Saucepan' (Steelpannetje). In Italian, too, it is called the 'Great Wagon' (Grande Carro). In Romanian and most Slavic languages, it is known as the 'Great Wagon' as well. In Hungarian, it is commonly called 'Göncöl's Wagon' (Göncölszekér) or, less often, 'Big Göncöl' (Nagy Göncöl) after a táltos (shaman) in Hungarian mythology who carried medicine that could cure any disease. In Finnish, the figure is known as Otava with established etymology in the archaic meaning 'salmon net', although other uses of the word refer to 'bear' and 'wheel'. The bear relation is claimed to stem from the animal's resemblance to—and mythical origin from—the asterism rather than vice versa. In the Lithuanian language, the stars of Ursa Major are known as Didieji Grįžulo Ratai ('Stars of the Riding Hall's Wheels'). Other names for the constellation include Perkūno Ratai ('Wheels of Perkūnas'), Kaušas ('Bucket'), Vežimas ('Carriage'), and Samtis ('Summit'). In traditional Chinese astronomy, which continues to be used throughout East Asia (e.g., in astrology), these stars are generally considered to compose the Right Wall of the Purple Forbidden Enclosure which surrounds the Northern Celestial Pole, although numerous other groupings and names have been made over the centuries. Similarly, each star has a distinct name, which likewise has varied over time and depending upon the asterism being constructed. The Western asterism is now known as the 'Northern Dipper' (北斗) or the 'Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper' (Chinese and Japanese: 北斗七星; pinyin: Běidǒu Qīxīng; Cantonese Yale: Bak¹-dau² Cat¹-sing¹; rōmaji: Hokutō Shichisei; Korean: 북두칠성; romaja: Bukdu Chilseong; Vietnamese: Sao Bắc Đẩu). The personification of the Big Dipper itself is also known as 'Doumu' (斗母) in Chinese folk religion and Taoism, and Marici in Buddhism.