The Little Bear has made its annual revolution and sleeps once again beneath the North Star. The Little Bear, Ursa Minor, is probably better known as the Little Dipper. For most of December and January the Little Dipper hangs almost directly below Polaris, the North Star.

During the course of the year, the dipper or little bear will swing round the North Star in a counterclockwise motion like a ladle spinning on a hook. By May and June the dipper will be directly above Polaris.

Polaris and Ursa Minor can be located in the northwest evening sky about two fields of vision above the horizon. Because of its fixed position and the fact that it never sets, Polaris has historically been important as a tool for navigation.

The Greek name for the star is Cynosure, which means an object of great interest. Polaris is also known as the polestar; the North Star; the Star of the Sea (because of its importance to ancient mariners); Stella Maris and the Lodestar.

Ursa Minor is a relatively new constellation. It was named by the Greek astronomer, Thales, around 600 B.C. One Greek legend asserts that Zeus took a fancy to a maiden named Callisto. Hera (Zeus’ wife) in her jealousy turned Callisto into a bear. Zeus, feeling sorry for Callisto, placed the bear in the heavens for all to see. This bear is known as Ursa Major, The Great Bear, or the Big Dipper.

Zeus, however, did not stop there. He also turned Callisto’s son, Arcas, into a bear and placed him in the heavens with his mother. Hera petitioned the powers of the ocean to avenge this slight to her honor. Thus the bears are forced to forever circle Polaris, never having the opportunity to rest beneath the ocean.

To the Southern Paiutes of the western U.S., these two constellations are not bears, but mountain sheep. According to Paiute legend, long ago when the world was young, a daring mountain sheep, Na-gah, roamed the earth. Shinoh, Na-gah’s father, was so proud of his courageous son that he gave him beautiful earrings (ram’s horns) to make him look important and commanding.

Na-gah was very brave and sure-footed and climbed every mountain he encountered. One day he discovered a massive mountain that reached into the clouds. At first he could not find a trail but after much searching he found a cave that first took him downward, then upward to the very peak. As Na-gah climbed inside the dark cave, loose rocks and boulders filled in behind him. When he reached the peak he was trapped with no way down.

Shinoh saw his son at the peak of the tall mountain and saw his predicament. He was sorrowful that his son was destined to die upon the peak. “I will not let my brave son die. I will turn him into a star, and he can stand there and shine where everyone can see him. He shall be a guide mark for all living things on the earth or in the sky.”

Na-gah became Qui-am-I Wintook Poot-see, the Star That Does Not Move, or the North Star. The Big Dipper and Little Dipper are other sheep who have found the mountain and are constantly circling, trying to find a path to Na-gah.

Although Polaris is fixed in the night sky, it has not always been the pole star. As the earth rotates on its axis, it tends to wobble like a gyroscope. So while the tilt of the axis remains nearly constant, the celestial poles trace a circle in the heavens. This wobble is known as precession.

Four thousand years ago the pole star was Thuban, the alpha star of the constellation Draco, the Dragon, which is just below Ursa Minor and Polaris. Today Thuban is about 25 degrees from the celestial north pole.

Polaris is less than one degree from true north. It will be closest to true north in the year 2105. It will remain the “North Star” for centuries. It is the 49th brightest star in the night sky and is about 360 light-years from Earth.

(Don Hendershot can be reached at don@smokymountainnews.com)