THE STARS - Part 1

Articles In This Section:

· What the heavens Tell Us

· THE MOON

· THE SUN

The Indians used the star Alcor in the constellation Ursa Major (the Larger Bear) as a test for good eyesight. Whoever was able to see it had good eyes, and that holds true today.

Incidentally, Ursa Major and the Big Dipper, the seven principal stars within the constellation, make up one of the most striking groupings of stars. The constellation is easy to locate once you have memorized the form, and it can be very useful to you.

To find the North Star or Pole Star, let your eye travel along the imaginary line connecting Merak and Dubhe (see illustration) for five times the distance between these two stars. The North Star is at the end of this line. To be sure, it is not a brilliant star, but it stands directly in the north.

The Indians called the Big Dipper the "Seven People." The middle star of the handle, Mizar, was "the old squaw with a papoose on her back," and the papoose was Alcor.

The Big Dipper circles the North Star once every 24 hours. Therefore, as the night progresses, the constellation is always in a different position. When it has moved a quarter of a circle around the North Star, you know that six hours have gone by.

The position of the stars changes with the changing seasons. In the spring the constellations you see are different from those visible in the fall. However, you can see the North Star and the groups of constellations nearest it during the entire year. The surrounding stars form a constant circle around the North Star.