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| Abbreviation: UMi |
| English Name: The Little Bear |
| Genitive: Polaris |
| Hemisphere: Northern Hemisphere |
| Location: Between the constellations of Cepheus and Draco. |
| Visible between latitudes: +90 and -30 degrees |
| Best season: Summer |
| Seen in three seasons: Spring, Summer, and Autumn |
| Best seen in: Circumpolar, better in June (This constellation of Ursa Minor stays in the sky all the year.) |
| Seen between: May and June |
| Right Ascension (RA): 15 hour |
| Declination (DEC): +70 degrees |
| Area (square degrees): 256 (56th) |
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Ursa Minor (The Little Bear)
- Polaris is the brightest star in Ursa Minor – it’s located almost exactly above the North Pole, and contains the North Celestial Pole (NCP)is the `North Pole Star`. Travellers used Polaris to find their way facing almost due North, before a long time ago, the magnetic compass was invented.
o - If you stood at the North Pole, Polaris would be almost directly overhead. If you can spot Polaris in the sky, you can always tell which way is north.
o - The constellation of Ursa Minor with seven main stars, is known as ` The Little Dipper` it looks somewhat like a spoon that handle has been bent back by a playful child.
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Messier Objects in Ursa Minor
| No Messier objects in Ursa Minor |
More objects in Ursa Minor
| Select Catalog | No of Objects |
| Barnard (B) | 0x object |
| Caldwell (C) | 0x object |
| Collinder (Cr) | 0x object |
| New General Catalogue (NGC) | 37x objects |
| Index Catalogue (IC) | 19x objects |
| Sharpless (Sh2) | 1x object |
Features of Interest
- UGC 9749 – Ursa Minor Dwarf, the constellation of Ursa Minor is rather lacking of many deep-sky objects, one of them are a notable object is the Ursa Minor Dwarf, located in the area of the constellation, and a satellite galaxy to our Milky-Way.
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Named Stars
- Polaris (Alpha UMi)
- Kocab (Beta UMi)
- Pherkad (Gamma UMi)
- Yildun (Delta UMi)
- Pherkad Minor (11 UMi)
- more list of stars in Ursa Minor.
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Planetarium / Constellation Map
| Live constellation visible from the UK :- Planetarium (Ursa Minor) | Best Seen in: Circumpolar, better in June | Seen between: May and June |
IAU Sky Chart: Ursa Minor
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Constellations – Visible from the UK
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Parts visible from the UK
| Antlia | Columba | Eridanus | Fornax | Microscopium | ||
| Piscis Austrinus | Puppis | Pyxis | Sagittarius | Scorpius | ||
| Sculptor |
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Constellations: Southern Celestial Hemisphere
…..– never seen from the UK
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Back to …Constellation Names
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