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Ursa Minor's end tail star is the North Star, Polaris
Ursa Minor was one of the 48 constellations recognized by Ptolemy
The constellation Ursa Minor is visible year-round.
Ursa Minor is nicknamed the Little Dipper
The Little Dipper can only be viewed in the northern hemisphere
Ursa Minor was used to guide slaves to the north and freedom during the civil war
The Little Dipper never goes under sea level in the northern hemisphere
Ursa minor is latin for "Little Bear"
Ursa Minor Mythology
An artistic representation of Ursa Major, the Great Bear.
One Greek myth tells the story of the nymph Callisto, who was turned into a bear by the gods. On accident, her son, a human, was about to kill the bear (her mother). Zeus, the head god, stopped this by turning them both into bears and flinging them up into the sky. The mother, Callisto, became the Greater Bear (Ursa Major) and her son became the Lesser Bear (Ursa Minor). The way Zeus got the bears into the sky explains why their tails are so long, apparently Zeus grabbed them by their tails and swung them around over his head and finally flung them into the sky, and that is why these two bears have long tails!
This is just one story about this constellation, and its related constellation Ursa Minor (the Little Dipper). Cultures from all over the world have their own stories about them!
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