Ursa Major

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/ursa-major

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the constellation rank?Third largest constellation by area in the sky
2. What is the primary asterism?The Big Dipper, composed of seven bright stars
3. Why is the Big Dipper important?The Big Dipper is useful for navigation. The two stars at the edge of its bowl point toward Polaris, the North Star, which stays almost still in the sky.
4. Where can we see Ursa Major?You can see Ursa Major most of the time if you live in the Northern Hemisphere. Because it is circumpolar, it never goes below the horizon, so it is visible all year round.

Circumpolar: Describes stars that are always visible in the sky from a particular latitude, never setting below the horizon.
Celestial Pole: The point in the sky directly above the Earth's North or South Pole, around which the stars appear to rotate.
Stellar Evolution: The process by which stars change over time, from their formation to their eventual death.