Ursa Minor, the Little Bear, is the northern constellation that contains Polaris, the pole star, at the end of the handle of the faint Little Dipper.
At a glance
| stars in the figure | 7 |
|---|---|
| nearest star of the figure | Eta Ursae Minoris, 97 light-years (29.7 pc) |
| farthest star of the figure | Pherkad, 487 light-years (149 pc) |
| depth | the farthest is 5 × farther than the nearest |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Ursa Minor
Ursa Minor is an ancient constellation, a small bear with a long tail, its stars forming the Little Dipper. Polaris, at the tip of the tail, lies very close to the north celestial pole, so it barely moves while every other star turns around it, and its height above the horizon gives a northern observer’s latitude. Polaris is a yellow supergiant that pulses gently in brightness.
At the other end, Kochab, an orange giant, and Pherkad form the bowl’s outer edge and are called the Guardians of the Pole. The rest of the Little Dipper is faint and lost in city skies. Seen from the northern hemisphere the whole figure is up every night of the year; from the southern hemisphere it never rises.
What you see in the piece
Flown out to, the Little Dipper loses its shape: Eta Ursae Minoris is the nearest star of the figure and Pherkad lies several times deeper, and Polaris stops being the still centre of the sky once you leave Earth.
Questions
Why does Polaris not move?
Polaris lies almost exactly in line with Earth’s axis, so as Earth turns, it stays nearly fixed while the other stars wheel around it.
How far away are the stars of Ursa Minor?
They range from Eta Ursae Minoris, 97 light-years (29.7 pc), to Pherkad, 487 light-years (149 pc): the farthest is 5 × farther than the nearest.