What is the Big Dipper?

1. What is the Big Dipper?

2. Can You Find The Big Dipper? Now • An easy way to identify the Big Dipper is by the stars. • Look for the North Star aka Polaris • Two major stars that be easily seen that are brighter than the rest are Mizar and Alcor. • These two stars are known as horse and rider. • Depending upon what season the Earth is in is what hemisphere you will look in to find the constellation in the sky.

3. What are the Stars of the Big Dipper Video Of How To Find The Big Dipper http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNhN0rmNpGk Name of all the Stars in the Constellation

4. The History of The Big Dipper • The big dipper was originally named Ursa Major, the "Great Bear." • The constellation has a sister named Ursa Minor, the "Little Bear." • Slaves would travel North, aided by the guidance of the North Star. • They would "follow the drinking gourd" toward their freedom. • A drinking gourd is a bowl at the end of a spoon out of which one drinks. These gourds are referred to as dippers. Henca, Ursa Major is referred to as the Big Dipper.

5. The Importance of The Big Dipper • The Big Dipper and Polaris play an important part in the story of the Underground Railroad which helped slaves escape their captivity in the southern states of the United States before the Civil. • The folk song Follow the Drinking Gourd (another name for the Big Dipper) was a coded songs that gave directions on the escape route from Alabama and Mississippi. While traveling on their long escape journey, they could always tell which way was north by the location of Polaris which they could find by the pointer stars. • • For most gazers, the Big Dipper is probably the most important group of stars in the sky because it is composed of seven bright stars that stand out to the eye. • • The Big Dipper is important because it points the way to Polaris; the North Star. The North Star was used during slavery to point the way to “freedom”. • • The two stars Dubhe and Merak are known as the “Pointers” because they always point and are aligned with Polaris.

6. What do you know? • What star do you want to look for to find The Big Dipper? - Polaris AKA the North Star • How many stars are in The Big Dipper? - Seven • What is The Big Dipper’s scientific name? - Ursa Major • According to the video what is the connection between The Big Dipper and The Little Dipper? - The North Star • What is the importance of The Big Dipper? - How it help lead slaves into safe keeping dealing with the Underground Railroad

7. Works Cited • http://www.google.com/imgres?q=the+big+dipper&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1920&bih=985&tbm=isch&tbnid=DXzgSSPtbJ2jRM:&imgrefurl=http://myhome.spu.edu/ddowning/constell.htm&imgurl=http://myhome.spu.edu/ddowning/BigDipper_1991_w.jpg&w=600&h=400&ei=JUhGUP2yNJKZqQHThQE&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=179&vpy=645&dur=21&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=158&ty=120&sig=112705967705049879469&page=1&tbnh=147&tbnw=196&start=0&ndsp=47&ved=1t:429,r:29,s:0,i:230 • http://www.astropix.com/HTML/C_SPRING/URSAS.HTM • http://www.google.com/imgres?q=underground+railroad&num=10&hl=en&biw=1920&bih=985&tbm=isch&tbnid=95AuVaCs2RKheM:&imgrefurl=http://zmblackhistorymonth2012.blogspot.com/2012/02/underground-railroad-escape-to-freedom.html&imgurl=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ffaw_9jtag8/T0t-H8Lod3I/AAAAAAAAD6E/pwDOlrLhSFM/s1600/runaway-slaves-on-underground-railroad.jpg&w=1600&h=1212&ei=-1FGUPzgJcf3qQGsgYGICg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1129&vpy=321&dur=1157&hovh=195&hovw=258&tx=198&ty=136&sig=112705967705049879469&page=1&tbnh=131&tbnw=183&start=0&ndsp=50&ved=1t:429,r:16,s:0,i:190 • http://www.astropix.com/HTML/C_SPRING/BIGDIP.HTM • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNhN0rmNpGk • http://www.space.com/5323-doorstep-astronomy-big-dipper.html