View source for Ursa Major

{{Short description|Constellation in the northern sky}}
{{About|the constellation|the pattern of stars (asterism)|Big Dipper|other uses}}
{{Infobox constellation
| name = Ursa Major
| abbreviation = UMa
| genitive = Ursae Majoris
| pronounce = {{IPAc-en|ˌ|ɜːr|s|ə|_|ˈ|m|eɪ|dʒ|ər|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-AnotherFriendlyHuman-Ursa Major.wav}} {{respell|UR|sə|_|MAY|jər}},<br />genitive {{IPAc-en|ˌ|ɜːr|s|iː|_|m|ə|ˈ|dʒ|ɔr|ᵻ|s}} {{respell|UR|see|_|mə|JOR|iss}}
| symbolism = the Great [[Bear]]
| RA = {{RA|10.67}}
| dec= {{DEC|+55.38}}
| family = [[Ursa Major Family|Ursa Major]]
| quadrant = NQ2
| areatotal = 1280
| arearank = 3rd
| numbermainstars = 7, 20
| numberbfstars = 93
| numberstarsplanets = 21
| numberbrightstars = 7
| numbernearbystars = 8
| brighteststarname = [[Alioth]] (ε UMa)
| starmagnitude = 1.76
| neareststarname = [[Lalande 21185]]
| stardistancely = 8.31
| stardistancepc = 2.55
| numbermessierobjects = 7
| meteorshowers = [[Alpha Ursa Majorids|Alpha&nbsp;Ursae&nbsp;Majorids]]<br/>[[Kappa Ursae Majorids]]<br/>[[Ursa Major#Meteor showers|October Ursae Majorids]]
| bordering = [[Draco (constellation)|Draco]]<br />[[Camelopardalis]]<br />[[Lynx (constellation)|Lynx]]<br />[[Leo Minor]]<br />[[Leo (constellation)|Leo]]<br />[[Coma Berenices]]<br />[[Canes Venatici]]<br />[[Boötes]]
| latmax = [[North Pole|90]]
| latmin = [[30th parallel south|30]]
| month = April
| notes = [[File:Ursa Major from King City.jpg|240px|center]] The [[Big Dipper]] or Plough
}}

'''Ursa Major''', also known as the '''Great Bear''', is a [[constellation]] in the [[Northern Celestial Hemisphere|Northern Sky]], whose associated mythology likely dates back into prehistory. Its Latin name means "greater (or larger) bear", referring to and contrasting it with nearby [[Ursa Minor]], the lesser bear.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chandra: Constellation Ursa Major |url=https://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/constellations/ursamajor.html |access-date=2022-07-07 |website=chandra.harvard.edu}}</ref> In [[Classical antiquity|antiquity]], it was one of the original 48 constellations listed by [[Ptolemy]] in the 2nd century AD, drawing on earlier works by Greek, Egyptian, Babylonian, and Assyrian astronomers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Constellation {{!}} COSMOS |url=https://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/c/Constellation |access-date=2022-07-07 |website=astronomy.swin.edu.au}}</ref> Today it is the third largest of the [[88 modern constellations]].

Ursa Major is primarily known from the [[asterism (astronomy)|asterism]] of its main seven stars, which has been called the "[[Big Dipper]]", "the Wagon", "Charles's Wain", or "the Plough", among other names. In particular, the Big Dipper's stellar configuration mimics the shape of the "[[Ursa Minor|Little Dipper]]". Two of its stars, named [[Dubhe]] and [[Beta Ursae Majoris|Merak]] ([[Alpha Ursae Majoris|α Ursae Majoris]] and [[Beta Ursae Majoris|β Ursae Majoris]]), can be used as the navigational pointer towards the place of the current [[Pole star|northern pole star]], [[Polaris]] in [[Ursa Minor]].

Ursa Major, along with asterisms it contains or overlaps, is significant to numerous world cultures, often as a symbol of the north. Its depiction on the [[flag of Alaska]] is a modern example of such symbolism.

Ursa Major is visible throughout the year from most of the [[Northern Hemisphere]], and appears [[Circumpolar constellation|circumpolar]] above the mid-northern latitudes. From southern temperate latitudes, the main asterism is invisible, but the southern parts of the constellation can still be viewed.

==Characteristics==

Ursa Major covers 1279.66 square degrees or 3.10% of the total sky, making it the third largest constellation.<ref>{{cite web|title=Constellations Lacerta–Vulpecula|url=http://www.ianridpath.com/constellations2.html}}</ref> In 1930, [[Eugène Joseph Delporte|Eugène Delporte]] set its official International Astronomical Union (IAU) constellation boundaries, defining it as a 28-sided irregular polygon. In the [[equatorial coordinate system]], the constellation stretches between the [[right ascension]] coordinates of {{RA|08|08.3}} and {{RA|14|29.0}} and the [[declination]] coordinates of +28.30° and +73.14°.<ref name="boundary">{{cite web
 |title        = The Constellations
 |publisher    = International Astronomical Union
 |url          = https://www.iau.org/public/themes/constellations/#uma
 |access-date  = 16 August 2019
 |archive-date = 4 June 2013
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20130604014156/https://www.iau.org/public/themes/constellations/#uma
 |url-status   = dead
}}</ref> Ursa Major borders eight other constellations: [[Draco (constellation)|Draco]] to the north and northeast, [[Boötes (constellation)|Boötes]] to the east, [[Canes Venatici (constellation)|Canes Venatici]] to the east and southeast, [[Coma Berenices (constellation)|Coma Berenices]] to the southeast, [[Leo (constellation)|Leo]] and [[Leo Minor (constellation)|Leo Minor]] to the south, [[Lynx (constellation)|Lynx]] to the southwest and [[Camelopardalis (constellation)|Camelopardalis]] to the northwest. The three-letter constellation abbreviation "UMa" was adopted by the IAU in 1922.<ref name="boundary"/>

==Features==

{{See also|List of stars in Ursa Major}}

===Asterisms===
[[File:Ursa Major and Polaris.svg|thumb|left|Ursa Major and Polaris with names of bright stars in the Big Dipper]]
[[Image:UrsaMajorCC.jpg|thumb|upright=.8|The constellation Ursa Major as it can be seen by the unaided eye]]

The outline of the seven bright stars of Ursa Major form the [[Asterism (astronomy)|asterism]] known as the "''[[Big Dipper]]''" in the United States and Canada, while in the United Kingdom it is called the ''Plough''{{Hairspace}}<ref>{{cite book|author=Reader's Digest Association|title=Planet Earth and the Universe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q5-RAAAACAAJ|date=August 2005|publisher=Reader's Digest Association, Limited|isbn=978-0-276-42715-2|access-date=2016-11-07|archive-date=2021-04-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415002500/https://books.google.com/books?id=Q5-RAAAACAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> or (historically) ''Charles' Wain''.<ref name="Wikidic">{{cite web
|title=Charles' Wain
|url=https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Charles%27_Wain
|access-date=23 November 2017
|archive-date=1 December 2017
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201044025/https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Charles%27_Wain
|url-status=live}}</ref> Six of the seven stars are of [[second magnitude star|second magnitude]] or higher, and it forms one of the best-known patterns in the sky.<ref>{{cite book|author=André G. Bordeleau|title=Flags of the Night Sky: When Astronomy Meets National Pride|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NSu5BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA131|date=22 October 2013|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-1-4614-0929-8|pages=131–|access-date=7 June 2019|archive-date=15 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415002501/https://books.google.com/books?id=NSu5BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA131|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=James B. Kaler|title=Stars and Their Spectra: An Introduction to the Spectral Sequence|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZEKO2pzuRHoC&pg=PA241|date=28 July 2011|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-89954-3|pages=241–|access-date=7 June 2019|archive-date=15 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415002501/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZEKO2pzuRHoC&pg=PA241|url-status=live}}</ref> As many of its common names allude, its shape is said to resemble a [[Ladle (spoon)|ladle]], an agricultural [[plough]], or [[wagon]]. In the context of Ursa Major, they are commonly drawn to represent the hindquarters and tail of the Great Bear. Starting with the "ladle" portion of the dipper and extending clockwise (eastward in the sky) through the handle, these stars are the following:
{{flowlist}}
* [[Dubhe]] ("the bear"), which at a magnitude of 1.79 is the 35th-brightest star in the sky and the second-brightest of Ursa Major.
* [[Merak (star)|Merak]] ("the loins of the bear"), with a magnitude of 2.37.
* [[Phecda]] ("thigh"), with a magnitude of 2.44.
* [[Megrez]], meaning "root of the tail", referring to its location as the intersection of the body and tail of the bear (or the ladle and handle of the dipper).
* [[Alioth]], a name which refers not to a bear but to a "black horse", the name corrupted from the original and mis-assigned to the similarly named ''Alcor'', the naked-eye binary companion of ''Mizar''.<ref name=kaler>{{cite web |author=Jim Kaler |title=Stars: "Alioth" |date=2009-09-16 |url=http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/alioth.html |access-date=2019-06-07 |author-link=Jim Kaler |archive-date=2019-12-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191211104920/http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/alioth.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Alioth is the brightest star of Ursa Major and the 33rd-brightest in the sky, with a magnitude of 1.76. It is also the brightest of the [[chemically peculiar star|chemically peculiar]] [[Ap star]]s, magnetic stars whose chemical elements are either depleted or enhanced, and appear to change as the star rotates.<ref name=kaler/>
* [[Mizar]], ζ Ursae Majoris, the second star in from the end of the handle of the Big Dipper, and the constellation's fourth-brightest star. ''Mizar'', which means "girdle", forms a famous [[double star]], with its optical companion [[Alcor (star)|Alcor]] (80 Ursae Majoris), the two of which were termed the "horse and rider" by the Arabs.
* [[Alkaid]], known as η Ursae Majoris, is situated at the end of the tail. With a magnitude of 1.85, Alkaid is the third-brightest star of Ursa Major.<ref>{{cite book|author=Mark R. Chartrand|title=Skyguide, a Field Guide for Amateur Astronomers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pk-RQgAACAAJ|year=1982|publisher=Golden Press|isbn=978-0-307-13667-1|bibcode=1982sfga.book.....C|access-date=2019-06-07|archive-date=2021-04-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415002502/https://books.google.com/books?id=pk-RQgAACAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Ridpath, at p. 136.</ref>
{{endflowlist}}
Except for ''Dubhe'' and ''Alkaid'', the stars of the Big Dipper all have [[proper motion]]s heading toward a common point in [[Sagittarius (constellation)|Sagittarius]]. A few other such stars have been identified, and together they are called the [[Ursa Major Moving Group]].

[[File:Ursa Major - Ursa Minor - Polaris.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Ursa Major and Ursa Minor in relation to Polaris]]
The stars Merak (β Ursae Majoris) and Dubhe (α Ursae Majoris) are known as the "pointer stars" because they are helpful for finding [[Polaris]], also known as the [[North Star]] or Pole Star. By visually tracing a line from Merak through Dubhe (1 unit) and continuing for 5 units, one's eye will land on Polaris, accurately indicating true north.

Another asterism is recognized in [[Arab culture]] as representing three pairs of footprints of a leaping gazelle.<ref name=ridpath2>{{cite web|author=Ian Ridpath|title=Star Tales – Ursa Major|url=http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/ursamajor2.html}}</ref> It is a series of three pairs of stars found along the southern border of the constellation. From southeast to southwest, the "first leap", comprising [[Nu Ursae Majoris|ν]] and [[ξ Ursae Majoris]] (Alula Borealis and Australis, respectively); the "second leap", comprising [[Lambda Ursae Majoris|λ]] and [[μ Ursae Majoris]] (Tania Borealis and Australis); and the "third leap", comprising [[Iota Ursae Majoris|ι]] and [[κ Ursae Majoris]] (Talitha and Alkaphrah). The same asterism has the Chinese name ''Santai''<ref name=ridpath2/> and the Indian name ''Trivikrama'',<ref>{{cite web |title=Trivikrama |url=https://xing.fmi.uni-jena.de/mediawiki/index.php/Trivikrama |website=All Skies Encyclopaedia |publisher=[[IAU Working Group on Star Names]] |access-date=15 October 2025}}</ref> both meaning "three steps".

===Other stars===
[[W Ursae Majoris]] is the prototype of a class of [[contact binary]] [[variable star]]s, and ranges between [[apparent magnitude|magnitudes]] 7.75 and 8.48.

[[47 Ursae Majoris]] is a Sun-like star with a three-planet [[extrasolar planet|system]].{{sfn|Levy|2005|p=67}} [[47 Ursae Majoris b]], discovered in 1996, orbits every 1078 days and is 2.53 times the [[mass of Jupiter]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url = https://exoplanet.eu/catalog/47_uma_b--71/ |title = Planet 47 Uma b |date = 11 July 2012 |access-date = 15 July 2012 |archive-date = 11 November 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231111213322/https://exoplanet.eu/catalog/47_uma_b--71/ |encyclopedia = [[Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia]] |url-status = live }}</ref> [[47 Ursae Majoris c]], discovered in 2001, orbits every 2391 days and is 0.54 times the mass of Jupiter.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url = https://exoplanet.eu/catalog/47_uma_c--72/ |title = Planet 47 Uma c |date = 11 July 2012 |access-date = 15 July 2012 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231111213317/https://exoplanet.eu/catalog/47_uma_c--72/ |encyclopedia = [[Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia]] |archive-date = 11 November 2023 }}</ref> [[47 Ursae Majoris d]], discovered in 2010, has an uncertain period, lying between 8907 and 19097 days; it is 1.64 times the mass of Jupiter.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url = https://exoplanet.eu/catalog/47_uma_d--648/ |title = Planet 47 Uma d |date = 11 July 2012 |access-date = 15 July 2012 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231111213318/https://exoplanet.eu/catalog/47_uma_d--648/ |encyclopedia = [[Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia]] |archive-date = 11 November 2023 }}</ref> The star is of magnitude 5.0 and is approximately 46 light-years from Earth.{{sfn|Levy|2005|p=67}}

The star TYC 3429-697-1 ({{RA|9|40|44}} {{DEC|48|14|2}}), located to the east of [[θ Ursae Majoris]] and to the southwest of the "Big Dipper") has been recognized as the [[List of Delaware state symbols|state star]] of [[Delaware]], and is informally known as the Delaware Diamond.<ref name=a>{{cite web |url=https://delaware.gov/topics/facts/misc.shtml |title=Delaware Facts & Symbols – Delaware Miscellaneous Symbols |website=delaware.gov |access-date=2019-06-07 |archive-date=2019-03-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328213054/https://delaware.gov/topics/facts/misc.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Deep-sky objects===
[[File:M101 hires STScI-PRC2006-10a.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The Pinwheel Galaxy]]
Several bright [[galaxies]] are found in Ursa Major, including the pair [[Messier 81]] (one of the brightest galaxies in the sky) and [[Messier 82]] above the bear's head, and [[Pinwheel Galaxy]] (M101), a spiral northeast of [[Alkaid]]. The spiral galaxies [[Messier 108]] and [[Messier 109]] are also found in this constellation. The bright [[planetary nebula]] [[Owl Nebula]] (M97) can be found along the bottom of the bowl of the Big Dipper.

[[Messier 81|M81]] is a nearly face-on [[spiral galaxy]] 11.8&nbsp;million light-years from Earth. Like most spiral galaxies, it has a core made up of old stars, with arms filled with young stars and [[nebula]]e. Along with [[Messier 82|M82]], it is a part of the [[galaxy cluster]] closest to the [[Local Group]].

[[Messier 82|M82]] is a nearly edgewise galaxy that is [[galaxy merger|interacting gravitationally]] with M81. It is the brightest [[infrared spectrum|infrared galaxy]] in the sky.<ref name="objects">{{cite book |title = 300 Astronomical Objects: A Visual Reference to the Universe |last1=Wilkins |first1=Jamie |last2=Dunn |first2 = Robert |publisher = Firefly Books |date = 2006 |edition = 1st |location=Buffalo, New York |isbn = 978-1-55407-175-3}}</ref> [[SN 2014J]], an apparent [[Type Ia supernova]], was observed in M82 on 21 January 2014.<ref>{{cite journal|bibcode=2014ATel.5786....1C|title=Classification of Supernova in M82 as a young, reddened Type Ia Supernova|journal=The Astronomer's Telegram|volume=5786|pages=1|last1=Cao|first1=Y|last2=Kasliwal|first2=M. M|author2-link=Mansi Kasliwal|last3=McKay|first3=A|last4=Bradley|first4=A|year=2014}}</ref>

[[Messier 97|M97]], also called the Owl Nebula, is a [[planetary nebula]] 1,630 light-years from Earth; it has a magnitude of approximately 10. It was discovered in 1781 by [[Pierre Méchain]].{{sfn|Levy|2005|pp=129–130}}

[[Messier 101|M101]], also called the Pinwheel Galaxy, is a face-on spiral galaxy located 25 million light-years from Earth. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781. Its spiral arms have regions with extensive [[star formation]] and have strong [[ultraviolet|ultraviolet emissions]].<ref name="objects"/> It has an [[integrated magnitude]] of 7.5, making it visible in both binoculars and telescopes, but not to the naked eye.<ref>{{cite journal |title = M101: A Bear of a Galaxy |last = Seronik |first = Gary |journal = Sky & Telescope |date = July 2012 |volume = 124 |issue = 1|page = 45 |bibcode = 2012S&T...124a..45S }}</ref>

[[NGC 2787]] is a [[lenticular galaxy]] at a distance of 24 million light-years. Unlike most lenticular galaxies, NGC 2787 has a [[barred spiral galaxy|bar]] at its center. It also has a halo of [[globular cluster]]s, indicating its age and relative stability.<ref name="objects"/>

[[NGC 2950]] is a lenticular galaxy located 60 million light-years from Earth.

[[NGC 3000]] is a double star, and catalogued as a nebula-type object.

[[NGC 3079]] is a [[starburst galaxy|starburst]] spiral galaxy located 52 million light-years from Earth. It has a horseshoe-shaped structure at its center that indicates the presence of a [[supermassive black hole]]. The structure itself is formed by [[superwind]]s from the black hole.<ref name="objects"/>

[[NGC 3310]] is another starburst spiral galaxy located 50 million light-years from Earth. Its bright white color is caused by its higher than usual rate of star formation, which began 100&nbsp;million years ago after a merger. Studies of this and other starburst galaxies have shown that their starburst phase can last for hundreds of millions of years, far longer than was previously assumed.<ref name="objects"/>

[[NGC 4013]] is an edge-on spiral galaxy located 55 million light-years from Earth. It has a prominent [[dust lane]] and has several visible star forming regions.<ref name="objects"/>

[[I Zwicky 18]] is a young dwarf galaxy at a distance of 45 million light-years. The youngest-known galaxy in the visible universe, I&nbsp;Zwicky 18 is about 4&nbsp;million years old, about one-thousandth the age of the [[Solar System]]. It is filled with star forming regions which are creating many hot, young, blue stars at a very high rate.<ref name="objects"/>

The [[Hubble Deep Field]] is located to the northeast of [[Delta Ursae Majoris|δ Ursae Majoris]].

===Meteor showers===

* The '''Alpha Ursae Majorids''' are a minor meteor shower in the constellation.<ref name=":0">{{cite journal |last1=Hajduková |first1=M. |last2=Neslušan |first2=L. |year=2020 |title=The χ-Andromedids and January α-Ursae Majorids: A new and a probable shower associated with Comet C/1992 W1 (Ohshita) |journal=Icarus |volume=351 |article-number=113960 |bibcode=2020Icar..35113960H |doi=10.1016/j.icarus.2020.113960 |s2cid=224889918}}</ref> They may be caused by the comet  C/1992 W1 (Ohshita).<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite conference |last1=Hajdukova |first1=Maria |last2=Neslušan |first2=Luboš |date=2021-06-28 |title=Unknown sibling showers of comets C/1992 W1 (Ohshita) and C/1853 G1 (Schweizer) |conference=[[Europlanet Science Congress 2021]] |doi=10.5194/epsc2021-214 |bibcode=2021EPSC...15..214H |language=en |doi-access=free }}</ref>
* The [[Kappa Ursae Majorids]] are a newly discovered [[meteor shower]], peaking between November&nbsp;1 and November&nbsp;10.<ref>{{cite journal |journal = Sky & Telescope |date = September 2012 |last = Jenniskens |first = Peter |page = 23 |title = Mapping Meteoroid Orbits: New Meteor Showers Discovered}}</ref>
* The '''October Ursae Majorids''' were discovered in 2006 by Japanese researchers. They may be caused may be a long period comet.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gajdoš |first=Štefan |date=2008-06-01 |title=Search for Past Signs of October Ursae Majorids |journal=Earth, Moon, and Planets |language=en |volume=102 |issue=1 |pages=117–123 |doi=10.1007/s11038-007-9196-9 |bibcode=2008EM&P..102..117G |s2cid=123555821 |issn=1573-0794 }}</ref> The shower peaks between October&nbsp;12 and 19.<ref>{{Cite web |title=October Ursa Majorids – Watch the Skies |url=https://blogs.nasa.gov/Watch_the_Skies/tag/october-ursa-majorids/ |access-date=2023-03-30 |website=blogs.nasa.gov |date=18 October 2011 |language=en-US }}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

===Extrasolar planets===
[[HD 80606]], a sun-like star in a binary system, orbits a common center of gravity with its partner, [[HD 80607]]; the two are separated by 1,200&nbsp;AU on average. Research conducted in 2003 indicates that its sole planet, [[HD 80606 b]] is a future [[hot Jupiter]], modeled to have evolved in a perpendicular orbit around 5&nbsp;AU from its sun. The 4-Jupiter mass planet is projected to eventually move into a circular, more aligned orbit via the [[Kozai mechanism]]. However, it is currently on an incredibly [[orbital eccentricity|eccentric orbit]] that ranges from approximately one astronomical unit at its [[apoapsis]] and six stellar radii at [[periapsis]].<ref>{{cite journal |title = How Worlds Get Out of Whack |first = Greg |last = Laughlin |journal = Sky and Telescope |date = May 2013 |volume = 125 |issue = 5 |page = 29|bibcode = 2013S&T...125e..26L }}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Ursa Major shown on a carved stone, c.1700, Crail, Fife.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Ursa Major shown on a carved stone, c.&nbsp;1700, [[Crail]], Fife]]
Ursa Major has been reconstructed as an [[Indo-European studies|Indo-European]] constellation.<ref>
{{cite book
| last1                 = Mallory
| first1                = J.P.
| last2                 = Adams
| first2                = D.Q.
| chapter               = Chapter 8.5: The Physical Landscape of the Proto-Indo-Europeans
| title                 = Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World
| location              = Oxford, GBR
| publisher             = Oxford University Press
| date                  = August 2006
| page                  = 131
| isbn                  = 9780199287918
| oclc                  = 139999117
| quote                 = The most solidly 'reconstructed' Indo-European constellation is Ursa Major, which is designated as 'The Bear' (Chapter 9) in Greek and Sanskrit (Latin may be a borrowing here), although even the latter identification has been challenged.
}}</ref> It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century AD astronomer [[Ptolemy]] in his ''[[Almagest]]'', who called it Arktos Megale.{{efn|Ptolemy named the constellation in Greek Ἄρκτος μεγάλη (Arktos Megale) or the great bear. Ursa Minor was Arktos Mikra<ref name="Ridpath1515">{{cite web |last1=Ridpath |first1=Ian |author-link=Ian Ridpath |title=Ptolemy's Almagest: First printed edition, 1515 |url=http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/almagest.html#48 |access-date=15 November 2022}}</ref>}} 

==Mythology==
{{More citations needed section|date=April 2019}}

The constellation of Ursa Major has been seen as a [[bear]], usually female,<ref name="allen">{{cite book
 | last=Allen
 | first=R. H.
 | year=1963
 | author-link=Richard Hinckley Allen
 | title=Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning
 | url=https://archive.org/details/starnamestheirlo00alle/page/207
 | access-date=2010-12-12
 | edition=Reprint
 | publisher=Dover Publications Inc
 | location=New York, NY
 | isbn=((978-0-486-21079-7))
 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/starnamestheirlo00alle/page/207 207–208]
 }}</ref> by multiple connected civilizations.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gibbon |first=William B. |title=Asiatic parallels in North American star lore: Ursa Major |journal=Journal of American Folklore |volume=77 |issue=305 |pages=236–250 |date=1964 |doi=10.2307/537746 |jstor=537746 }}</ref> This may stem from a common [[oral tradition]] of [[Cosmic Hunt]] myths stretching back more than 13,000 years.<ref>Bradley E Schaefer, ''The Origin of the Greek Constellations: Was the Great Bear constellation named before hunter nomads first reached the Americas more than 13,000 years ago?'', [[Scientific American]], November 2006, reviewed at [http://www.worldhistoryblog.com/2006/10/origin-of-greek-constellations.html The Origin of the Greek Constellations] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170401164801/http://www.worldhistoryblog.com/2006/10/origin-of-greek-constellations.html |date=2017-04-01 }}; Yuri Berezkin, [http://www.folklore.ee/folklore/vol31/berezkin.pdf The cosmic hunt: variants of a Siberian – North-American myth] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504211656/http://www.folklore.ee/folklore/vol31/berezkin.pdf |date=2015-05-04 }}. ''Folklore'', 31, 2005: 79–100.</ref> Using statistical and phylogenetic tools, Julien d'Huy reconstructs the following Palaeolithic state of the story: "There is an animal that is a horned herbivore, especially an elk. One human pursues this ungulate. The hunt locates or get to the sky. The animal is alive when it is transformed into a constellation. It forms the Big Dipper."<ref>d'Huy Julien, [https://www.academia.edu/3226058/Un_ours_dans_les_etoiles_recherche_phylogenetique_sur_un_mythe_prehistorique._-_Prehistoire_du_sud-ouest_20_1_2012_91-106 Un ours dans les étoiles: recherche phylogénétique sur un mythe préhistorique] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211220195357/https://www.academia.edu/3226058/Un_ours_dans_les_etoiles_recherche_phylogenetique_sur_un_mythe_prehistorique._-_Prehistoire_du_sud-ouest_20_1_2012_91-106 |date=2021-12-20 }}, ''Préhistoire du sud-ouest'', 20 (1), 2012: 91–106; [https://www.academia.edu/3045718/PREPRINT_A_Cosmic_Hunt_in_the_Berber_sky_a_phylogenetic_reconstruction_of_Palaeolithic_mythology._Les_Cahiers_de_lAARS_15_2012_ A Cosmic Hunt in the Berber sky : a phylogenetic reconstruction of Palaeolithic mythology] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528230401/https://www.academia.edu/3045718/2013._A_Cosmic_Hunt_in_the_Berber_sky_a_phylogenetic_reconstruction_of_Palaeolithic_mythology._-_Les_Cahiers_de_lAARS_15_93-106 |date=2020-05-28 }}, ''Les Cahiers de l'AARS'', 15, 2012.</ref>

===Arabian folklore===
Whilst the [[Astronomy in the medieval Islamic world#history|Pre-Islamic Arabs]] recognised the larger constellation of Ursa Major as being a bear, perhaps due to Greek influence, they had traditionally always recognised the Big Dipper and Ursa Minor as being counterparts. Both were imagined as funeral processions with the ladle of either seen as a funerary [[bier]] and its handle as a train of mourners. The Big Dipper is known as ''banāt an-na'sh al-kubrā'' meaning literally "the greater daughters of the bier". However daughters here means ''those pertaining to it'', i.e. ''the mourners'' and thus is better translated as "the greater funeral procession", whilst Ursa Minor is known as "the lesser funeral procession". There is also a legend that the body on the bier is the father of those following behind it, a man called ''Na'ash'' who was murdered by ''Al-judayy'' (the Arabic name for [[Polaris|the North Star]]) and whom the funeral procession is in pursuit of.<ref>{{ cite web|title=Lane's Lexicon Arabic to English p. 2816|url=https://lexicon.quranic-research.net/pdf/Page_2816.pdf/#}}</ref>

===Greco-Roman tradition===
In [[Greek mythology]], [[Zeus]] (the king of the gods, known as [[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter]] in [[Roman mythology]]) lusts after a young woman named [[Callisto (mythology)|Callisto]], a [[nymph]] of [[Artemis]] (known to the Romans as [[Diana (mythology)|Diana]]). Zeus's jealous wife [[Hera]] ([[Juno (mythology)|Juno]] to the Romans) discovers that Callisto has a son named Arcas as the result of her rape by Zeus and transforms Callisto into a bear as a punishment.<ref>{{Cite web|url= http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/ursamajor.html|title=Ursa Major, The Great Bear|website=Ian Ridpath's Star Tales}}</ref> Callisto, while in bear form, later encounters her son [[Arcas]]. Arcas almost spears the bear, but to avert the tragedy Zeus whisks them both into the sky, Callisto as Ursa Major and Arcas as the constellation [[Boötes]]. [[Ovid]] called Ursa Major the Parrhasian Bear, since Callisto came from [[Parrhasia (Arcadia)|Parrhasia]] in [[Arcadia (region)|Arcadia]], where the story is set.<ref>Ovid, Heroides (trans. Grant Showerman) [https://www.theoi.com/Text/OvidHeroides4.html Epistle 18]</ref>

The Greek poet [[Aratus]] called the constellation Helike, ("turning" or "twisting"), because it turns around the celestial pole. The [[Odyssey]] notes that it is the sole constellation that never sinks below the horizon and "bathes in the Ocean's waves", so it is used as a celestial reference point for [[History of navigation#Antiquity|navigation]].<ref>Homer, Odyssey, [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Hom.+Od.+5.270&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0136 book 5, 273]</ref> It has also been called the "Wain" or "Plaustrum", a Latin word referring to a ‍horse-drawn ‍cart.<ref>{{Cite web|url= http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/apianus-bears.html|title=Apianus's depictions of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor|website=Ian Ridpath's Star Tales}}</ref>

===Hindu tradition===
In [[Hinduism]], The earliest mention of Ursa Major/Big dipper/ Great Bear is known as [[Saptarshi]], each of the stars representing one of the Saptarishis or Seven Sages (Rishis) viz. [[Bhrigu]], [[Atri]], [[Angiras]], [[Vasishtha]], [[Pulastya]], [[Pulaha]], and [[Kratu]]. is found in the Rigveda (c. 1500–1200 BCE), one of the oldest known texts in human history.

References in Ancient Indian Texts:

1. Rigveda (Mandala 1, Hymn 24.10).  Mentions the Saptarishi in connection with celestial order and cosmic significance.

2. Mahabharata (c. 400 BCE – 400 CE). Discusses Saptarishi Mandal as a guiding star for navigation.

3. Puranas (Vishnu Purana, Brahmanda Purana, and others). Describe the Saptarishis as divine sages who hold cosmic wisdom.

For Ursa Minor, it was not explicitly mentioned in early Vedic texts but was recognized in later astronomical texts such as:

1. Vedanga Jyotisha (c. 1400–1200 BCE)

2. Surya Siddhanta (c. 4th century CE)

The fact that the two front stars of the constellations point to the pole star is explained as the boon given to the boy sage [[Dhruva]] by Lord [[Vishnu]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Mahadev Haribhai Desai|title=Day-to-day with Gandhi: Secretary's Diary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KTYKAQAAIAAJ|year=1973|publisher=Sarva Seva Sangh Prakashan|access-date=2021-01-06|archive-date=2022-05-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513140126/https://books.google.com/books?id=KTYKAQAAIAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>

Thus, the Rigveda holds the earliest recorded mention of Ursa Major, while Ursa Minor gained prominence in later astronomical traditions.

===In Judaism and Christianity===
Ursa Major may be mentioned in the biblical [[book of Job]], dated between the 7th and 4th centuries BC, although this is often disputed.<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Botterweck|editor1-first=G. Johannes|title=Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, Volume 7|date=1994|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans|isbn=978-0-8028-2331-1|pages=79–80|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=weqiE1yiPyoC&pg=PA80|access-date=2019-07-30|archive-date=2022-04-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407221720/https://books.google.com/books?id=weqiE1yiPyoC&pg=PA80|url-status=live}}</ref>

===East Asian traditions===
In China and Japan, the Big Dipper is called the "North Dipper" {{lang|ja-Hani|北斗}} ([[Chinese language|Chinese]]: {{Transliteration|zh|běidǒu}}, [[Japanese language|Japanese]]: {{Transliteration|ja|hokuto}}), and in ancient times, each one of the seven stars had a specific name, often coming themselves from ancient China:

:* "Pivot" {{lang|ja-Hani|樞}} (C: ''shū'' J: ''sū'') is for Dubhe (Alpha Ursae Majoris)
:* "Beautiful jade" {{lang|ja-Hani|璇}} (C: ''xuán'' J: ''sen'') is for Merak (Beta Ursae Majoris)
:* "Pearl" {{lang|ja-Hani|璣}} (C: ''jī'' J: ''ki'') is for Phecda (Gamma Ursae Majoris)
:* "Balance"<ref>{{cite web |title=English-Chinese Glossary of Chinese Star Regions, Asterisms and Star Names |url=https://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/Space/en_US/web/spm/starshine/resources/constemyth/glossary.html |publisher=[[Hong Kong Space Museum]] |access-date=17 December 2018 |archive-date=17 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181217202511/https://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/Space/en_US/web/spm/starshine/resources/constemyth/glossary.html |url-status=live }}</ref> {{lang|ja-Hani|權}} (C: ''quán'' J: ''ken'') is for Megrez (Delta Ursae Majoris)
:* "Measuring rod of jade" {{lang|ja-Hani|玉衡}} (C: ''yùhéng'' J: ''gyokkō'') is for Alioth (Epsilon Ursae Majoris)
:* "Opening of the Yang" {{lang|ja-Hani|開陽}} (C: ''kāiyáng'' J: ''kaiyō'') is for Mizar (Zeta Ursae Majoris)
:* Alkaid (Eta Ursae Majoris) has several nicknames: "Sword" {{lang|ja-Hani|劍}} (C: ''jiàn'' J: ''ken'') (short form from "End of the sword" {{lang|ja-Hani|劍先}} (C: ''jiàn xiān'' J: ''ken saki'')), "Flickering light" {{lang|ja-Hani|搖光}} (C: ''yáoguāng'' J: ''yōkō''), or again "Star of military defeat" {{lang|ja-Hani|破軍星}} (C: ''pójūn xīng'' J: ''hagun sei''), because travel in the direction of this star was regarded as bad luck for an army.<ref>The ''[[Bansenshukai]]'', written in 1676 by the ninja master Fujibayashi Yasutake, speak several times about these stars, and show a traditional picture of the Big Dipper in his book 8, volume 17, speaking about astronomy and meteorology (from Axel Mazuer's translation).</ref>

In [[Shinto]], the seven largest stars of Ursa Major belong to [[Ame-no-Minakanushi]], the oldest and most powerful of all [[kami]].

In [[South Korea]], the constellation is referred to as "the seven stars of the north". In the related myth, a widow with seven sons found comfort with a widower, but to get to his house required crossing a stream. The seven sons, sympathetic to their mother, placed stepping stones in the river. Their mother, not knowing who put the stones in place, blessed them and, when they died, they became the constellation.

===Native American traditions===
The [[Iroquois]] interpreted Alioth, Mizar, and Alkaid as three hunters pursuing the Great Bear. According to one version of their myth, the first hunter (Alioth) is carrying a bow and arrow to strike down the bear. The second hunter (Mizar) carries a large pot – the star Alcor – on his shoulder in which to cook the bear while the third hunter (Alkaid) hauls a pile of firewood to light a fire beneath the pot.

The [[Lakota people]] call the constellation ''{{lang|lkt|Wičhákhiyuhapi}}'', or "Great Bear".

The [[Wampanoag people]] (Algonquian) referred to Ursa Major as "maske", meaning "bear" according to Thomas Morton in The New England Canaan.<ref>{{cite book|title=The new English Canaan of Thomas Morton|first=Morton|last=Thomas|date=13 September 1883|publisher=Published by the Prince Society|ol = 7142058M}}</ref>

The [[Wasco-Wishram]] Native Americans interpreted the constellation as five wolves and two bears that were left in the sky by [[Coyote (mythology)|Coyote]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RS7qtuhKhM0C&pg=PR7|title=Indian Legends of the Pacific Northwest|last=Clark|first=Ella Elizabeth|date=1963|publisher=University of California Press|language=en|access-date=2019-05-01|archive-date=2022-05-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513140130/https://books.google.com/books?id=RS7qtuhKhM0C&pg=PR7|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Germanic traditions===
To [[Old Norse religion|Norse pagans]], the Big Dipper was known as ''Óðins vagn'', "[[Woden]]'s wagon". Likewise Woden is [[Norse poetry|poetically]] referred to by [[Kennings]] such as ''vagna verr'' 'guardian of the wagon' or ''vagna rúni'' 'confidant of the wagon'<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Cleasby | first1 = Richard | author-link = Richard Cleasby | last2 = Vigfússon  | author-link2 = Guðbrandur Vigfússon | first2 = Guðbrandur | title = An Icelandic-English Dictionary | location = Oxford | publisher = Clarendon Press | year = 1874 | url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_RnEJAAAAQAAJ | page = 674}}</ref>

===Uralic traditions===
In the [[Finnish language]], the asterism is sometimes called by its old Finnish name, [[Big Dipper|Otava]]. The meaning of the name has been almost forgotten in Modern Finnish; it means a [[salmon]] [[fishing weir|weir]]. Ancient Finns believed the [[bear]] (''Ursus arctos'') was lowered to earth in a golden basket off the Ursa Major, and when a bear was killed, its head was positioned on a tree to allow the bear's spirit to return to Ursa Major.

In the [[Sámi languages]] of Northern Europe, part of the constellation (i.e. the [[Big Dipper]] minus [[Dubhe]] and [[Beta Ursae Majoris|Merak]], is identified as the [[bow and arrow|bow]] of the great hunter Fávdna (the star [[Arcturus]]). In the main Sámi language, [[North Sámi]], it is called ''Fávdnadávgi'' ("Fávdna's Bow") or simply ''dávggát'' ("the Bow"). The constellation features prominently in the [[Sámi anthem]], which begins with the words ''Guhkkin davvin dávggaid vuolde sabmá suolggai Sámieanan'', which translates to "Far to the north, under the Bow, the Land of the Sámi slowly comes into view." The Bow is an important part of the Sámi traditional narrative about the night sky, in which various hunters try to chase down ''Sarva'', the Great Reindeer, a large constellation that takes up almost half the sky. According to the legend, Fávdna stands ready to fire his Bow every night but hesitates because he might hit [[Stella Polaris]], known as ''Boahji'' ("the Rivet"), which would cause the sky to collapse and end the world.<ref>Naturfagsenteret.no: Stjernehimmelen (https://www.naturfagsenteret.no/c1515376/binfil/download2.php?tid=1509706)</ref>

===Southeast Asian traditions===
In [[Burmese language|Burmese]], ''Pucwan Tārā'' (ပုဇွန် တာရာ, {{IPA|my|bəzʊ̀ɴ tàjà|}}) is the name of a constellation comprising stars from the head and forelegs of Ursa Major; ''pucwan'' (ပုဇွန်) is a general term for a [[crustacean]], such as [[prawn]], [[shrimp]], [[crab]], [[lobster]], etc.

In [[Javanese language|Javanese]], it is known as "lintang jong", which means "the [[Djong (ship)|jong]] constellation". Likewise, in [[Malay language|Malay]] it is called "bintang jong".<ref>{{Cite book|title=Hobson-Jobson: Glossary of Colloquial Anglo-Indian Words And Phrases|last=Burnell|first=A.C.|publisher=Routledge|year=2018|isbn=9781136603310|pages=472}}</ref>

===Esoteric lore===
In [[Theosophy (Blavatskian)|Theosophy]], it is believed that the ''Seven Stars of the Pleiades'' focus the [[spiritual energy]] of the [[seven rays]] from the ''Galactic Logos'' to the ''Seven Stars of the Great Bear'', then to [[Sirius]], then to the [[Sun]], then to the god of [[Earth]] ([[Sanat Kumara]]), and finally through the seven [[ascended master|Masters of the Seven Rays]] to the [[human]] race.<ref>Baker, Dr. Douglas ''The Seven Rays:Key to the Mysteries'' 1952</ref>

==In culture==
Ursa Major is mentioned by such poets as [[Homer]], [[Edmund Spenser|Spenser]], [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]], [[Alfred Lord Tennyson|Tennyson]] and also by [[Federico Garcia Lorca]], in "Song for the Moon".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ciudadseva.com/textos/poesia/esp/lorca/cancion_para_la_luna.htm |title=Canción para la luna - Federico García Lorca - Ciudad Seva |access-date=2015-08-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150510013428/http://www.ciudadseva.com/textos/poesia/esp/lorca/cancion_para_la_luna.htm |archive-date=2015-05-10 }}</ref> [[Suomen kansan vanhat runot|Ancient Finnish poetry]] also refers to the constellation, and it features in the painting ''[[Starry Night Over the Rhône]]'' by [[Vincent van Gogh]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Frog|date=2018-01-30|title=Myth|journal=Humanities|language=en|volume=7|issue=1|pages=14|doi=10.3390/h7010014|issn=2076-0787|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Clayson|first=Hollis|date=2002|title=Exhibition Review: "Some Things Bear Fruit"? Witnessing the Bonds between Van Gogh and Gauguin|journal=The Art Bulletin|volume=84|issue=4|pages=670–684|doi=10.2307/3177290|issn=0004-3079|jstor=3177290}}</ref> 

==Graphic visualisation==
{{More citations needed section|date=April 2019}}
In European star charts, the constellation was visualized with the 'square' of the Big Dipper forming the bear's body and the chain of stars forming the Dipper's "handle" as a long tail. However, bears do not have long tails, and Jewish astronomers considered Alioth, Mizar, and Alkaid instead to be three cubs following their mother, while the Native Americans saw them as three hunters.

[[File:Polarbear spitzbergen 1.jpg|thumb|right|H. A. Rey's alternative asterism for Ursa Major can be said to give it the longer head and neck of a polar bear, as seen in this photo, from the ''left'' side.]]
Noted children's book author [[H. A. Rey]], in his 1952 book ''[[The Stars: A New Way to See Them]],'' ({{ISBN|0-395-24830-2}}) had a different [[Asterism (astronomy)|asterism]] in mind for Ursa Major, that instead had the "bear" image of the constellation oriented with Alkaid as the tip of the bear's nose, and the "handle" of the Big Dipper part of the constellation forming the outline of the top of the bear's head and neck, rearwards to the shoulder, potentially giving it the longer head and neck of a [[polar bear]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gophineas.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/rey_ursa_major.jpg|title=Archived representation of H.A. Rey's asterism for Ursa Major|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407074342/http://gophineas.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/rey_ursa_major.jpg|archive-date=2014-04-07}}</ref>

<gallery>
File:Sidney Hall - Urania's Mirror - Ursa Major.jpg|Ursa Major as depicted in [[Urania's Mirror]], a set of constellation cards published in London c.1825
File:Ursa Major constellation Hevelius.jpg|[[Johannes Hevelius]] drew Ursa Major as if being viewed from outside the celestial sphere.
File:Starry Night Over the Rhone.jpg|''[[Starry Night Over the Rhone]]'' by [[Vincent van Gogh]] (1888)
File:Flag of Alaska.svg|[[Polaris]] and the Big Dipper on the flag of [[Alaska]]
</gallery>

Ursa Major is also pictured as the [[Starry Plough (flag)|Starry Plough]], the Irish flag of Labour, adopted by [[James Connolly]]'s [[Irish Citizen Army]] in 1916, which shows the constellation on a blue background; on the state flag of [[Alaska]]; and on the [[House of Bernadotte]]'s variation of the [[coat of arms of Sweden]]. The seven stars on a red background of the [[flag of the Community of Madrid]], Spain, may be the stars of the Plough asterism (or of Ursa Minor). The same can be said of the seven stars pictured in the bordure azure of the [[coat of arms of Madrid]], capital of that country.

==See also==
{{cmn|
* [[Ursa Major (Chinese astronomy)]]
* [[Ursa Minor]]
* [[Crux|Southern Cross]]
* [[Celestial cartography]]
* [[Constellation family]]
* [[Former constellations]]
* [[Lists of stars by constellation]]
* [[:Category:Constellations listed by Johannes Hevelius|Constellations listed by Johannes Hevelius]]
* [[:Category:Constellations listed by Lacaille|Constellations listed by Lacaille]]
* [[:Category:Constellations listed by Petrus Plancius|Constellations listed by Petrus Plancius]]
* [[:Category:Constellations listed by Ptolemy|Constellations listed by Ptolemy]]
}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

;Bibliography
* {{cite book
  | first = David H.
  | last = Levy
  | title = Deep Sky Objects
  | date = 2005
  | publisher = Prometheus Books
  | isbn = 978-1-59102-361-6
  | url = https://archive.org/details/deepskyobjects00davi
  }}
* {{cite book
  | first1 = Robert
  | last1 = Thompson
  | first2 = Barbara
  | last2 = Thompson
  | title = Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders: From Novice to Master Observer
  | date = 2007
  | publisher = O'Reilly Media, Inc
  | isbn = 978-0-596-52685-6
  }}

==Further reading==
* Ian Ridpath and Wil Tirion (2007). ''Stars and Planets Guide'', Collins, London. {{ISBN|978-0-00-725120-9}}. Princeton University Press, Princeton. {{ISBN|978-0-691-13556-4}}.

==External links==
{{Commons|Ursa Major}}
* [http://www.allthesky.com/constellations/ursamajor/ The Deep Photographic Guide to the Constellations: Ursa Major]
* [http://astrojan.nhely.hu/ursama.htm The clickable Ursa Major] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220620231533/https://astrojan.eu5.org/ursama.htm |date=2022-06-20 }}
* [https://www.aavso.org/myths-uma AAVSO: The Myths of Ursa Major]
* [https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-origin-of-the-greek-c/ The Origin of the Greek Constellations (paywalled)]
* [http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/ursamajor.html Star Tales – Ursa Major]
* [https://iconographic.warburg.sas.ac.uk/category/vpc-taxonomy-017038 Warburg Institute Iconographic Database (ca 160 medieval and early modern images of Ursa Major)]

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[[Category:Ursa Major| ]]
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