Star Points for May, 1997; by Curtis Roelle Great Bear Springs Into May Sky From mid-Northern latitudes the "Big Dipper" is high overhead on May evenings. Contrary to common belief the "Big Dipper" is not one of the 88 internationally sanctioned constellations. The "Big Dipper" is an asterism -- a grouping of stars -- within the constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear. The three stars in the Dipper's handle form the Bear's tail, and the four in the bowl form the hind quarters. Other stars make the neck, head, and legs. The big difference between Ursa Major and Earth bears is that Earth bears do not have long curving tails. Yet a bear has been seen in these stars by numerous cultures around the world throughout history. Ancient Middle Easterners saw a bear as did North American Indians. Anthropologists believe that North American Indians may have carried the tradition of the bear with them as they migrated over a land bridge that once existed across the Bering Straight. The celestial bear was also immortalized in Homer's Iliad. Written in the 9th century B.C. homer referred to Ursa Major both as the Bear and as the "Wain", or wagon. The Dipper's bowl is the wagon bed and the handle is the tongue. In Great Britain it was seen as a plough with the bowl as the blade and the Dipper's handle as the handle of the plough. But the British also called the Dipper's seven stars "Charles' Wain". To runaway slaves before the Civil war it was the "Drinking Gourd", which they were instructed to follow at night on the Underground Railroad as they migrated North to freedom. More macabre is the representation by the Dipper's stars as a coffin or a funeral procession. The stars in the bowl form the coffin and handle stars are mourners following the coffin as it moves across the sky due to the Earth's rotation. The "Big Dipper" is very useful for locating the North Star. The two stars on the side of the bowl opposite the handle act as pointers. Using the distance between the two stars as a unit of measure, follow along the line formed by the two stars for a distance of about five units until you come to a star equally as bright as the stars of the Dipper. This is the North Star, whose proper name is "Polaris". Polaris is the end star in the handle of the "Little Dipper", or Ursa Minor. Contrary to popular belief and pop music, Polaris is not the brightest star in the sky. That honor belongs to Sirius, in the constellation Canis Major, the "Great Dog". In terms of brightness Sirius outshines Polaris by a factor of 26. Comet Hale-Bopp remains visible low in the West after sunset during May so you still have time for one last look. Visual descriptions by members of the Westminster Astronomical Society from as far back as February may be found on the WAS Web site at http://www.erols.com/roelle/was/. The site also contains a set of stunning astrophotos made by the group's President, Matt Orsie of Eldersburg.