What does the constellation Ursa Major mean? Ursa Major - names and descriptions of the constellation stars

Latin name: Ursa Major
Reduction: UMa
Symbol: Ursa
Right Ascension: from 8h 40m to 12h 05m
Declension: from +27° to +74°
Square: 1280 sq. degrees
Brightest stars:
Aliot (ε UMa) - 1.76 m,
Dubhe(α UMa) - 1.8 m,
Benetnash(η UMa) - 1.9 m
Meteor showers:α-Ursa Majoris, max. August 13-14
Neighboring constellations: Dragon, Giraffe, Lynx, Lesser Lion, Lion, Speedwell's Hair, Hounds, Bootes
The constellation is visible at latitudes:
from –30° to +90°

"Jupiter and Callisto". Francois Boucher, 1744 Moscow, Museum of Fine Arts. AC. Pushkin

Description

Ursa Major is a constellation in the northern hemisphere of the sky; its seven stars make up the most famous figure in the sky. This is a ladle, which with its two outermost stars Dubhe (α Ursa Major, 1.8 m) and Merak (β Ursa Major, 2.3 m) gives the direction to the North Star.

The brightest star is Alioth (ε Ursa Major, 1.76 m), and the most famous double system is Mizar (ζ Ursa Major, 2.2 m) - “horse” and Alcor (80 Ursa Major, 4 m) - “horseman” " It is believed that the one who distinguishes between these two stars has keen vision.

Two spiral galaxies M81 (7.0 m) and M101 (7.9 m) are visible in the constellation, which can be observed with a small telescope. M81 is interesting because it is very similar to our Galaxy. Nearby is the small galaxy M82, which experienced a powerful explosion just a few million years ago. This event is of great interest for astronomy, since it sheds light on the processes of formation and development of galaxies.

Another interesting object is located in Ursa Major - the planetary nebula M97 - “Owl”, which received its name for its resemblance to this bird. It can be observed with a small telescope, since the total brightness of the nebula is 11 m.

The most interesting objects

Star ζ Ursa Major is a system of six stars. Of these, only two - Mizar and Alcor - can be seen with the naked eye. The distance between these stars is 11". Mizar is a double star that can be clearly seen in a small telescope. The distance between the components is 14.5". These two stars, as well as Alcor, are spectroscopic double stars. The distance of the entire system from the Sun is approx. 60 St. years.

Star U Ursa Major- a typical eclipsing variable, the components of which are located in the Roche lobe. The period of brightness change is 8 hours, and the maximum brightness is 8.7 m.

χ Ursa Major- a multiple system consisting of two spectroscopic double stars separated by a distance of 2.5 "". They orbit around a common center of mass for 60 years. The most massive pair consists of stars similar to the Sun, and the second one consists of the same star and an invisible satellite with a mass 10 times less than the Sun. The entire system is removed from the Sun at a distance of 25 light. years.

M40- a faint double star discovered by Charles Messier in the place where he wanted to find a nebula erroneously described by Jan Hevelius. Located near the star 70 Ursa Major. The system consists of two stars with magnitudes 9.0 m and 9.3 m, separated by 49 "". The brighter star is located at a distance of 510 light from the Sun. years. Most likely, this is an optical double star, i.e. its components are not physically connected, but are located close along the line of sight.

M97- planetary nebula "Owl". Has a brightness of 9.9m. The nebula's mass is approximately 0.15 solar masses. It exists for about 6 thousand years. Removed from the Sun at a distance of 12 thousand light. years.

SU Ursa Major- a variable eruptive star of the dwarf nova type, in which two types of outbursts are observed. The system consists of a white dwarf surrounded by an accretion disk and a cold component of lower mass. At its minimum brightness, this star is no brighter than 15 m. During regular outbursts, which occur every few days, the brightness increases to 12 m, and during rarer outbursts - up to 10.9 m.

M81- a beautiful spiral galaxy of the Sb type. Brightness 6.9m. Paired with it is the M82 galaxy - irregular in shape and weaker. Being more massive, M81 deforms its neighbor with its gravitational field. The Hubble Space Telescope made it possible to study 32 variable stars - Cepheids in M81. Using this information, its distance to the Galaxy was determined - 11 million light years. years.

Spiral galaxy M81 (left) and irregular galaxy M82 (right). Composite images obtained from images from the ground and from space.

M101- NGC 5457 is a Sc type spiral galaxy, 22" in size. Brightness 7.9 m. The central part of this galaxy is visible in small telescopes. Photographs taken with large telescopes show that it is asymmetrical. The core of the galaxy is significantly removed from the center of the disk. Distance to M101 was determined using Cepheids by the Hubble Space Telescope and is approximately 24 million light years. The linear diameter of the galaxy is about 170 thousand light years. Three supernovae were observed in this star system in 1909, 1951 and 1970.

History of the study

In 1603, a significant event occurred. The German astronomer Johann Bayer (1572-1625) published his famous atlas "Uranometry", which significantly clarified the position of the stars in the sky. In it, he first designated the stars in Greek letters, including the seven bright stars of the Big Dipper from west to east in the “direction” of this star pattern. At the same time, Bayer violated the rule that the brightness of stars must correspond to the Greek alphabet. The alpha star is the brightest, the second brightest is beta, and so on. The basis for Uranometry was the observations of the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe.

The most popular constellation, probably familiar to every person. It looks like a bright, spectacular bucket and is observed throughout the year, since it is located near the North Pole and belongs to the constellations that do not set in northern latitudes. The constellation is named after the nymph Callisto.

Observation

Ursa Major is one of those constellations whose location is well known. In fact, one gets acquainted with this constellation first of all, since the Ursa Dipper represents a very characteristic figure. To the east of the Big Dipper, clearly visible Perseus and Cassiopeia “walk” across the sky. The constellation Giraffe, adjacent to Ursa Major, has no bright stars and is difficult to navigate. Bootes and his bright star Arcturus, located to the southeast, are “catching up” with the bear.

The best visibility conditions are in March and April. The constellation is clearly visible throughout Russia.

Mythology

According to ancient myth, the eternally young goddess of the hunt, Artemis, wandered through the mountains and forests with a bow and a sharp spear in search of game. Her companions and maids followed her. The girls were one more beautiful than the other, but the most charming was Callisto. When Zeus (Jupiter in Roman mythology) saw the nymph, he was amazed by her beauty and youth. However, the maids of Artemis did not have the right to marry. To take possession of Callisto, Zeus resorted to a trick, and one night he appeared before her in the form of Artemis. Thus Zeus achieved his goal. From Zeus, Callisto gave birth to a son, Arkad, who quickly grew up and became an excellent hunter.

Ursa Major is a constellation that schoolchildren become familiar with in 2nd grade while taking the course “The World Around us.”

It is important for children to learn how to find a star “bucket” in the night sky, because the constellation is a reference point for finding many other celestial objects.

Description of the constellation Ursa Major

Ursa Major (Ursa Major) is a constellation of the northern hemisphere, located in 3rd place in size. The common name for the celestial object is the Big Dipper, as the seven main stars form a shape similar to a ladle with a long handle.

In Eastern Europe and throughout Russia, the object is observed throughout the year(the exception is autumn in the southern regions of Russia, when the constellation is too low above the horizon). Best visibility is in early spring.

The Big Dipper has been known to mankind since ancient times and is significant in many cultures. The constellation is mentioned in the Bible and Homer's story "The Odyssey", its description is in the works of Ptolemy.

Ancient peoples associated the star figure with a camel, plow, boat, sickle, and basket. In Germany, the constellation is called the Great Basket, in China - the Imperial Chariot, in the Netherlands - the Pan, in Arab countries - the Tomb of the Mourners.

How many stars are in the constellation Ursa Major? There are seven in total, and they all have interesting names in different countries. Residents of Mongolia call them the Seven Gods, the Hindus call them the Seven Sages.

In the American Indian imagination, the three stars that form the “bucket handle” represent three hunters chasing a bear. Alpha and beta constellations are also called “pointers”, because with the help of these stars it is not difficult to find the North Star.

Ursa Major Bucket in autumn, winter, spring, summer

At different times of the year, the position of the “ursa bear” is not the same relative to the horizon. For better orientation, you should use a compass.

On a clear spring night, a cluster of stars is directly above the observer. From mid-April, the “bucket” begins to move west. Throughout the summer, the constellation gradually moves to the northwest and descends. In the last days of August, stars can be seen in the north, as low as possible above the horizon.

In the autumn sky, it is noticeable how the constellation slowly rises; during the winter months, as can be seen in the diagram below, moving to the northeast, it rises again in the spring as high as possible above the horizon.

To quickly find the constellation, you should remember that in summer it is in the northwest, in autumn - in the north, in winter - in the northeast, in spring - directly above the observer.

Depending on the time of day, the position of the star figure changes relative not only to the vault of heaven, but also to its own axis. The image below shows that in the evening in January-February the bucket is in the northeast (in the picture on the right) and its handle is pointing downwards.

During the night, the constellation passes through a semicircle, by morning it reaches the northwest (in the picture on the left), and the “handle” rushes upward.

In July-August the daily changes are opposite. The same contrast is observed in the spring and autumn months.

The position of the constellation in the sky is characterized by daily changes specific to each season of the year.

Stars of Ursa Major

Answering the question how many stars are in Ursa Major, the 7 most noticeable points are indicated. This seven forms the same “bucket” that is clearly visible in the night sky.

But in reality the constellation is more extensive and consists of a larger number of points. Stars of lesser brightness form the paws and face of the “bear”.

The seven main stars that are included in the constellation include:

Dubhe(“bear”) is the alpha constellation, the second most intense glow. One of two signs to the North Pole. A red giant located 125 light years from Earth.
Merak(translated as “loin”) is a beta star, the second pointer to the North Pole. The object is approximately 80 light years away from Earth, slightly larger in size than the Sun, and emits a powerful stream of infrared radiation.
Fekda(“hip”) is Gamma, a dwarf star located at a distance of just under 85 light years from our planet.
Megrets(from Arabic "base") - delta, a blue dwarf, more than 80 light years from Earth. The object was so named because it is the base of the long tail of the “heavenly beast”.
Aliot(“tail”) - epsilon, the brightest point of the constellation, is in 31st place in terms of luminosity of objects visible in the sky (magnitude 1.8). White star, luminosity 108 times higher than that of the Sun. One of 57 celestial objects used in navigation.
Mizar(from Arabic “belt”) is a zeta star, the fourth brightest in the “bucket”. The star is double, there is a less bright satellite - Alcor.
Alkaid(“leader”) or Benetnash (“crying”) - this star is the third in luminosity, the end of the “bear's tail”. Blue dwarf, distance – 100 light years from our planet.

The total number of objects in the constellation is about 125.

Of these, three pairs of stars located on the same line, located at a short distance from each other, should be noted:

Alula Borealis (nu constellations) and Alula Australis (xi);
Tania Borealis (lambda) and Tania Australis (mu);
Talitha Borealis (iota) and Talitha Australis (kappa).

These three pairs are also called the three gazelle leaps, and in the map below they are located at the bottom of the star cluster.

The figure shows the location of the main seven stars and objects of the Talitha, Taniya and Alula groups.

The Legend of Ursa Major

There is an ancient Greek myth from which one can understand why the constellation Ursa Major is called that way.

Callisto, the heir of King Lycaon, was one of the most beautiful nymphs who served Artemis. Zeus turned his gaze to the beauty. He took the form of Artemis and seduced the girl. The goddess became angry when she noticed in the bath that her beloved nymph was pregnant and drove her away. Unhappy Callisto went to the mountains, where she gave birth to her son Arkas.

But the nymph’s misadventures did not stop there. Hera, the wife of the seducing god, learned about Arcas, the illegitimate son of Zeus, and in revenge turned her rival into a bear. As an adult, Arkas took up hunting. One day in the mountains he encountered a bear, but he could not even think that this was his own mother. The young man wanted to shoot an arrow at the beast, but Zeus stopped him.

The main god did not allow his son to commit a terrible act, but could not break the curse given to the Hero. Taking pity on the unfortunate Callisto, Zeus turned her and her son into stars and sent them to heaven. So the Big Dipper appeared in the sky, and next to her son, the Little Dipper.

How to find Ursa Major in the sky

In the temperate zone of Russia, the “Ursa Bear” is one of the non-setting constellations, as it is located near the North Pole. Finding a “bucket” in the sky in the evening and at night is not difficult. You only need to see a star cluster once to remember what it looks like.

In the photo below you can see what a “bucket” might look like in the night sky.

For those living at the latitude of Moscow, the best time to observe the star cluster is on an April night. In the time interval between 23 and 24 hours, the “bucket” will be at its zenith. The observer will only have to build the figure by points.

If it’s not April outside, then you should look for the “ursa” in other areas of the sky:

January-February - northeast, angle above the horizon 30 - 70°, the figure is located vertically;
March – east, angle 50 – 80°, the figure is almost vertical;
May – west, 60 – 90°, the “bucket” is inclined downwards by 60 – 80°;
June-July - northwest, elevation above the horizon 40 - 70°, downward inclination of the figure 20 - 60°;
August-September – northwest (closer to the north), 20 – 50°, the figure is parallel to the horizon;
October – north, angle 20 – 30°, “bucket” tilted upward by 10 – 30°;
November-December - northeast (closer to the north), 20 - 40°, the figure is inclined upward by 30 - 80°.

After getting acquainted with Ursa Major, the possibilities for exploring the starry sky expand significantly. The North Star is the first thing you can find if you know the location of the large “bucket”. And Polaris (the alpha star of Ursa Minor) is the main celestial landmark in the cardinal directions.

Big Dipper- constellation of the northern hemisphere of the sky. The seven stars of Ursa Major form a shape resembling a ladle with a handle. The two brightest stars, Alioth and Dubhe, have a magnitude of 1.8 apparent magnitude. By the two extreme stars of this figure (α and β) you can find the North Star. The best visibility conditions are in March-April. Visible throughout Russia all year round (with the exception of the autumn months in southern Russia, when Ursa Major descends low to the horizon).

There are about 125 stars in the constellation, but only seven are called the largest and brightest: Dubhe, Merak, Phekda, Megrets, Aliot, Mizar and Alkaid. Between themselves they form a bucket that is visible to the naked eye.

The legend of the appearance of the constellation

In distant Greenland there is also a legend in which the constellation Ursa Major appears. The mythology and history of this cluster are quite popular. But one story that has gained the greatest popularity among Eskimos is one that absolutely everyone talks about. It was even suggested that this legend is not fiction, but the pure truth. In a snowy house, on the very edge of Greenland, lived the great hunter Eriulok. He lived alone in a hut because he was arrogant, considering himself the best in his field. That's why he didn't want to communicate with his other tribesmen. For many years in a row he went to sea and always returned with rich booty. His house always had a lot of food and seal fat, and the walls of his home were decorated with the best skins of walruses, seals and seals.

Eriulok was rich, well-fed, but lonely. And loneliness over time began to weigh on the great hunter. He tried to make friends with his fellow Eskimos, but they did not want to have anything to do with their arrogant relative. Apparently, he offended them greatly at one time. In desperation, Eriulok went to the Arctic Ocean and called the mistress of the sea depths, the goddess Arnarkuachssak. He told her about himself and his trouble. The goddess promised to help, but in return Eriulok had to bring her a ladle with magic berries that would restore the goddess’s youth. The hunter agreed and went to a distant island and found a cave guarded by a bear. After much torment, he put the forest animal to sleep and stole a ladle of berries. The goddess did not deceive the hunter and gave him a wife, and in return received magic berries.

After all the adventures, Eriulok married and became the father of a large family, to the envy of all the neighbors in the area. As for the goddess, she ate all the berries, became a couple of hundred centuries younger and, in joy, threw the empty ladle into the sky, where it, caught on something, remained hanging.

Stars and asterisms

Ursa Major is the third largest constellation in area (after Hydra and Virgo), whose seven bright stars form the famous Big Dipper; this asterism has been known since ancient times among many peoples under different names: Rocker, Plow, Elk, Cart, Seven Sages, etc. All the stars of the Bucket have their own Arabic names:

Dubhe(α Ursa Major) means “bear”;
Merak(β) - “lower back”;
Fekda(γ) - “thigh”;
Megrets(δ) - “beginning of the tail”;
Aliot(ε) - the meaning is not clear (but most likely this name means “fat tail”);
Mizar(ζ) - “sash” or “loincloth”.
The last star in the handle of the Bucket is called Benetnash or Alkaid(η); In Arabic, al-Qa'id Banat Nash means "leader of the mourners." This poetic image is taken from the Arabic folk understanding of the constellation Ursa Major.

In the system of naming stars using Greek letters, the order of the letters simply corresponds to the order of the stars.

Another interpretation of asterism is reflected in the alternative name Hearse and Mourners. Here the asterism is thought of as a funeral procession: in front are mourners, headed by a leader, followed by a funeral bier. This explains the name of the star η Ursa Major, “leader of the mourners.”

Inner stars of the Bucket

The 5 inner stars of the Bucket (except for the outer ones α and η) really belong to a single group in space - the moving Ursa Major cluster, which moves quite quickly across the sky; Dubhe and Benetnash move in the opposite direction, so the shape of the Bucket changes significantly in about 100,000 years.

Stars Merak and Dubhe

They form the wall of the Bucket and are called Signposts, since the straight line drawn through them rests on the North Star (in the constellation Ursa Minor). Six stars of the Bucket have a brilliance of the 2nd magnitude, and only Megrets is of the 3rd magnitude.

Alcor

Next to Mizar, which was the second telescopically discovered double star (Giovanni Riccioli in 1650; as of the early 2000s, it was probably observed as a double as early as 1617 by Galileo). A keen eye sees the 4th magnitude star Alcor (80 Ursa Major), which in Arabic means “forgotten” or “insignificant”. It is believed that the ability to distinguish the Alcor star has been a recognized test of vigilance since ancient times. The pair of stars Mizar and Alcor is often interpreted as an asterism " Horse and rider».

Three gazelle jumps

A peculiar asterism Three gazelle jumps Arabic origin consists of three pairs of closely spaced stars, and the pairs are on the same straight line and separated by equal distances. Associated with the hoof marks of a gazelle moving in leaps. Includes stars:

Alula North and Alula South (ν and ξ, first jump),
Taniya North and Taniya South (λ and μ, second jump),
Talita North and Talita South (ι and κ, third jump).

Arcturus

Aliot, Mizar and Benetnash form an extended arc that points to Arcturus - the brightest star, which is located north of the celestial equator, and is also the brightest star visible in the spring in the mid-latitudes of Russia. As this arc extends further south, it points to Spica, the brightest star in the Virgo constellation.

Lalande 21185

The red dwarf, located in the region of Alula North and inaccessible to observations with the naked eye, is one of the closest star systems to Earth, closer to it are only Alpha Centauri, Barnard's star and Wolf 359. Also accessible to observations through binoculars is the star Groombridge 1830, which is inferior in its own motion to only Barnard's star and Kapteyn's star, over a hundred years it moves by about a third of the lunar disk.

Legends about the constellation. Star of Dubhe

There are a huge number of legends and tales about the cluster of luminaries Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. There is the following belief about the brightest star Dubha from the constellation Ursa Major. The daughter of King Lycaon, the beautiful Callisto was one of the hunters of the goddess Artemis. Almighty Zeus fell in love with Callisto, and she gave birth to a boy, Arcas. For this, Zeus' jealous wife Hera turned Callisto into a bear. When Arkas grew up and became a hunter, he picked up the trail of a bear and was already preparing to hit the beast with an arrow. Zeus, seeing what was happening, did not allow the murder. It was he who turned Arkas into a smaller bear. The Lord of Heaven placed them in the firmament so that mother and son would always remain together.

Ursa Major ranks third among the constellations in terms of area, but unusually few variable stars have been found there - as of 2011, it is not among the top ten constellations in terms of this indicator.

The Hubble Ultra Deep Field was imaged in an area one-twelfth the size of the lunar disk near the star Megrets. As of 2011, this is one of the most detailed images of the starry sky, allowing one to distinguish many galaxies billions of light years away from Earth.
Scars in the shape of the constellation Ursa Major on the chest are worn by a character from the popular anime and manga series Hokuto No Ken, Kenshiro in many countries. At the moment, only the independent three-part short story “Fist of the North Star: New Era” is available in the official Russian translation.
The world's first cryonics company is named after a star from the constellation Ursa Major.
Soviet archaeologist and historian, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Rybakov B.A. in his famous work he wrote: “The most important constellation of our northern hemisphere - Ursa Major - in the Russian North was called “Elk”, “Elk”... Among the Poles, the North Star is called the “Elk Star” (Gwiazda Łosiowa). Among the Evenks, the constellation Ursus Major (Ursus Major) is called “Moose Haglen”.
In the animated series Gravity Falls, the main character Dipper Pines has a birthmark in the form of this constellation on his forehead. Because of him, he received the nickname Dipper ( dipper from English - ladle, and the constellation Ursa Major is sometimes called the Big Dipper).

coming constellation Big Dipper. I’m sure it won’t sound loud that this constellation is the most recognizable in the entire northern hemisphere due to its 7 bright stars, shaped like a ladle.

Legend and history

The constellation was named after the nymph Callisto. There are many different legends. One of them has approximately the following content.

According to ancient Greek legend, Zeus saw a beautiful girl, the nymph Callisto, and fell in love with her. Callisto was one of the virgins who accompanied the goddess Diana the huntress. Zeus took the form of Diana and became close to Callisto. Seeing this, the real Diana sent her away from her eyes. Hera, the wife of Zeus, learning about this act, turned the nymph into a bear. Callisto's son, Arkad, met his mother when he grew up. But I didn’t recognize her in the form of a bear. Zeus, fearing that his son would kill his mother, placed both of them in the sky in the form of the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. But even in the sky, Callisto did not know peace. Hera begged the gods not to give the bear the opportunity to plunge into the ocean. Since then, the bear nymph has been circling across the sky, never setting below the horizon.

Ursa Major is one of the most ancient constellations in the starry sky. It has the same name among the Slavs, Indians, and Greeks. Included in the catalog of the starry sky of Claudius Ptolemy "Almagest".

The seven stars of Ursa Major make up a figure that forms a ladle asterism with a handle. But this is only a small part of the constellation itself.

Characteristics

Latin name	Ursa Major
Reduction	UMa
Square	1280 sq. degrees (3rd place)
Right ascension	From 7 h 58 m to 14 h 25 m
Declension	From +29° to +73° 30′
Brightest stars (< 3 m)
Number of stars brighter than 6 m	125
Meteor showers	Ursids
Neighboring constellations
Constellation visibility	+90° to −16°
Hemisphere	Northern
Time to observe the area Belarus, Russia and Ukraine	March

The most interesting objects to observe in the constellation Ursa Major

Constellation Ursa Major

1. Planetary Owl Nebula (M 97)

With a mass of only 0.15 solar, it has a brightness of 9.9 m. It got its name due to its resemblance to the eyes of an owl. It can only be detected with a professional telescope under good weather conditions. According to scientists, the age is approximately 6 thousand years. It is located on the bottom of the bowl of the Big Dipper:

Search for the planetary Owl Nebula

2. Optical double star M 40

Charles Messier in the 18th century was looking for a nebula that was mistakenly described by Jan Hevelius, but in its place he discovered a faint double star. It was decided to include it in the catalog under serial number 40 ( M 40). These are two stars with a brightness of 9 m and 9.3 m. As calculations show, this is an optical double star, that is, both stars are not connected with each other in any way, but are located close along the line of sight. The location on the sky relative to the bucket is shown below:

3. Spiral Galaxy M 101

Popularly a spiral galaxy M 101 nicknamed "Spinner". Has a brightness of 7.7m. It will not be possible to observe it with binoculars due to its weak surface brightness. No matter how hard I tried, it didn’t work. But already in amateur telescopes you can see the bright central part. The photograph shows that M 101 asymmetrical: the galactic core is removed from the center of the disk. This galaxy has been well studied by scientists: it was observed in 1909, 1951 and 1970.

It is not difficult to find in the starry sky, and beginners often start practicing with it.

Spiral Galaxy Pinwheel (M 101)

4. Spiral Galaxy M 108

A galaxy that can be found in semi-professional or professional telescopes. As a rule, it is searched in conjunction with the planetary Owl Nebula (2), due to its close location. Has a brightness of 10.0 m.

5. Spiral Galaxy M 109

In some sources you can find its other name - "Vacuum cleaner". It is located near Gamma Dipper, and despite the fact that it has a brightness of only 9.8 m, you can try to find it with a telescope. M 109 has at least three satellite galaxies of its own. Taking the star Fad (Fecda) as a reference point, we smoothly and slowly move west - after a few seconds we try to recognize and detect the desired galaxy:

M 109 or the Vacuum Cleaner galaxy

6. Pair of galaxies M 81 and M 82

Two nearby galaxies M 81 and M 82

Probably the most key objects to observe are in the constellation Ursa Major. Firstly, they are not difficult to find; secondly, both have an accessible magnitude for observation even with amateur telescopes: 6.9 m and 8.4 m, respectively; thirdly, when in close proximity to each other at low magnification, they can be seen simultaneously in the telescope lens, approximately as shown in the photograph above. An approximate search route is shown below:

The Cigar Galaxy lies above the Bode Nebula.

Considering both galaxies separately, it is worth adding that M 81 or Bode Nebula is a beautiful spiral galaxy. It deforms its “neighbor” with a gravitational field. Thanks to the Hubble telescope, it was possible to study 32 variable stars inside M 81.

Galaxy M 82 or "Cigar" is irregularly shaped (refers to) and weaker than M 81. Active star formation takes place inside it. At the center of the galaxy is a supermassive