Star Hopping From the Big Dipper’s Pointer Stars Leads to Leo the Lion

Summary: The useful technique of star hopping from the Big Dipper’s pointer stars leads to Leo the Lion constellation.

Star hopping from the Big Dipper asterism’s pointer stars leads to Leo the Lion constellation’s Sickle asterism: Learn to Skywatch @Learntoskywatch, via Facebook March 22, 2017

The easy technique of star hopping from the Big Dipper’s pointer stars leads to Leo the Lion constellation at northern latitudes and at lower southern latitudes.

The prominent visibility of Ursa Major the Greater Bear constellation’s Big Dipper asterism in Northern Hemisphere skies encourages the technique of star hopping to find the night’s asterisms (recognizable patterns of stars), constellations and even telescopic objects. Space.com Skywatching columnist Joe Rao notes that entire visibility of the Big Dipper in the Southern Hemisphere occurs north of 25 degrees south latitude.

The two stars representing the outer edge of the Big Dipper’s bowl are known as pointer stars. Dubhe and Merak point to Polaris, the current northern pole star.

Dubhe (Alpha Ursae Majoris, α Ursae Majoris; Alpha UMa, α UMa) marks the bowl’s outermost rim as the northern of the Big Dipper asterism’s pointers. Dubhe has an apparent visual magnitude (scale of brightness) of 1.81. University of Illinois Professor Emeritus James B. “Jim” Kaler describes the second magnitude star as “almost first magnitude.” Dubhe shines as the second brightest star in Ursa Major the Greater Bear constellation. The traditional name of Dubhe derives from the Arabic phrase (ظهر الدب الاكبر‎ żahr ad-dubb al-akbar) for “back of the Greater Bear” describing the star’s location in visualizations of the constellation.

Merak (Beta Ursae Majoris, β Ursae Majoris; Beta UMa, β UMa) anchors the bottom of the bowl’s front as the more southerly of the Pointers. University of Illinois Professor Emeritus James B. “Jim” Kaler describes Merak as a “faint second” with an apparent visual magnitude (scale of brightness) of 2.37. Merak shines as Ursa Major’s fifth brightest star. The traditional name of Merak derives from Arabic (المراق al-maraqq) for "flank."

The Big Dipper’s two front bowl stars also serve as easy guideposts for star hops other than to Polaris. Beginning the star hop at Merak and continuing north through Dubhe leads to Polaris. Reversing the direction by extending the line first from Dubhe and then through Merak leads to Leo the Lion constellation.

The Sickle asterism confirms a successful star hop to constellation Leo. The asterism’s distinctive shape also appears as a backward question mark. The six-star asterism outlines Leo’s head, mane and shoulders in visualizations of the constellation.

The tip of the Sickle asterism’s handle is represented by Regulus (Alpha Leonis, α Leonis; Alpha Leo, α Leo). The first magnitude star has an apparent magnitude of 1.35. Regulus shines as the brightest star in both the Sickle asterism and Leo the Lion constellation.

Dubhe and Merak are not the only pointers provided by the Big Dipper for locating constellation Leo. The two stars forming the inner, or back, side of the Big Dipper’s bowl also star hop to the leonine constellation.

Opposite Dubhe, Megrez (Delta Ursae Majoris, δ Ursae Majoris; Delta UMa, δ UMa) sits atop the inner side, at the juncture of the bowl with the handle. Megrez has an apparent magnitude of 3.31, described by Kaler as “toward the fainter end of third magnitude.” Megrez shines the faintest of the Big Dipper’s seven stars. The traditional name of Megrez derives from Arabic (المغرز‎ al-maghriz) for “base [of the bear’s tail].”

Opposite Merak, Phecda (Gamma Ursae Majoris, γ Ursae Majoris; Gamma UMa, γ UMa) marks the bottom of the bowl’s inner, or back, side. The second magnitude star has an apparent magnitude of 2.44, described by Kaler as “just on the edge of third.” Phecda holds sixth place in brightness, both in the Big Dipper asterism and in the Greater Bear constellation. The traditional name of Phecda derives from the Arabic phrase (فخذ الدب fakhth al-dubb) for “the bear’s thigh.”

Megrez and Phecda are less luminous than the Pointers. Yet they also qualify as effective star hops to Leo. An imaginary line beginning at Megrez and then continuing through and beyond Phecda leads to Leo the Lion constellation.

The takeaway for star hopping from the Big Dipper’s pointer stars to Leo the Lion constellation is that Ursa Major the Greater Bear constellation’s easily recognizable asterism offers a second star hop to Leo via the bowl stars sited opposite the Pointers.

The Big Dipper asterism’s parent constellation, Ursa Major the Greater Bear, as depicted by British cartographer and engraver Sidney Hall (1788-1831) in Urania’s Mirror (1825), a set of 32 astronomical star chart cards: U.S. Library of Congress, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Star hopping from the Big Dipper asterism’s pointer stars leads to Leo the Lion constellation’s Sickle asterism: Learn to Skywatch @Learntoskywatch, via Facebook March 22, 2017, @ https://www.facebook.com/Learntoskywatch/photos/a.223850584681982/371422216591484/

The Big Dipper asterism’s parent constellation, Ursa Major the Greater Bear, as depicted by British cartographer and engraver Sidney Hall (1788-1831) in Urania’s Mirror (1825), a set of 32 astronomical star chart cards: U.S. Library of Congress, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sidney_Hall_-_Urania's_Mirror_-_Ursa_Major.jpg; No known restrictions on publication in the U.S., via Library of Congress (LOC) Prints & Photographs Catalog (PPOC) @ https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2002695521/

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Learn to Skywatch @Learntoskywatch. “Tonight's Target: The Lion's Mane Can you find "The Sickle" in the constellation Leo? Hint: The Big Dipper points the way.” Facebook. March 22, 2017.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/Learntoskywatch/photos/a.223850584681982/371422216591484/

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