Re: [TruthTalk] Ursa Major and the North Star

[Blainerb473]

IBlaine,    All constellations, indeed, all stars in the northern hemisphere "appear" to rotate around the north star. It truly is the rotation of the earth that gives that apparent "rotation" of the stars. Why is the Ursa Major being singled out? Check out this photo... http://courses.washington.edu/phy21456/chapter1_216complete_files/image005.jpg     Blainerb: I was simply pointing out that two of the stars in the Ursa Major constellation point to Polaris, the North Star, which is a representation of Jesus Christ in Mormon theology--see below--- I liked your photo,  by the way.        a message dated 12/13/2005 7:03:17 A.M. Mountain Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: The Big Dipper is an asterism that makes up part of the constellation of Ursa Major, The Big Bear. It is seen here at the lower left of the image. The Little Dipper, part of the constellation of Ursa Minor, The Little Bear, is seen at the upper right. The two stars at the end of the bowl of the Big Dipper are called the "Pointer Stars" because a line drawn between them points to Polaris, the North Star. Hold your mouse cursor over the image to see the lines that make up the Big and Little Dippers, and the line from the pointer stars to Polaris. The Big Dipper and Polaris play an important part in the story of the Underground Railroad which helped slaves escape their captivity in the southern states of the United States before the Civil War by fleeing north to Canada. The folk song "Follow the Drinking Gourd" (another name for the Big Dipper) was a coded song that gave directions on the escape route from Alabama and Mississippi. While traveling on their long escape journey, they could always tell which way was north by the location of Polaris which they could find by the pointer stars. The Big Dipper is a circumpolar constellation, which means it stays above the horizon all night long as it apparently rotates around Polaris due to the Earth's rotation. It is also comprised of very bright stars in an easy-to-locate pattern. This view shows what the northern sky looks like at about 9pm in the beginning of September. Back | Home | Next Showcase | Table of Contents | Images Index | Search Astrophotography Articles | Digital Techniques | Stories | Misc Copyright | License the Images | Email These photographs, text and web page designs are © Copyright 1974 - 2005 by Jerry Lodriguss, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. They may not be reproduced, published, copied or transmitted in any form, including electronically on the Internet or World Wide Web, without written permission of the author. Thank you for respecting the intellectual property rights protected by the copyright laws of the United States and new International Copyright Treaty. These images are digitally watermarked. Catching the Light Astrophotography by Jerry Lodriguss Back | Home | Next Spring Objects Constellations Images Index The Big and Little Dippers The Pointers and Polaris Mouse >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Reply-To: TruthTalk@mail.innglory.org >To: TruthTalk@mail.innglory.org >Subject: [TruthTalk] Ursa Major and the North Star >Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2005 22:38:50 EST > >Ursa Major,  Dictionary definition: > >Ursa Major  (The Big  Dipper) >n : a constellation outside the  Zodiac that rotates around  the >North Star [syn: _Great  Bear_ (http://dict.die.net/great%20bear/) , Ursa >Major]