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Saturday, April 3, 2010

Ursa Minor / Little Dipper

             Ursa Minor, often called the Little Dipper, is a constellation in the northern sky. Its name is Latin for 'little bear', contrasting with Ursa Major, the Great Bear. Like the big dipper, the handle of the little dipper is the tail of the "little bear". It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains one of the 88 modern constellations. Ursa Minor is notable as the location of the north celestial pole, although this will change after some centuries due to the precession of the equinoxes.

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