Ursa Major image

About Ursa Major

  • alphabet
    Ursa Major/Greater Bear
  • Katakana, Onyomi
    Ursa Major/Greater Bear

Ursa Major was set by Claudius Ptolemy.
Ursa Major The sequence of stars that form the body and long tail of Big Dipper is the sequence of stars that form the body and long tail of .

According to Greek mythology, the large bear of Ursa Major is said to be Callisto, one of the beautiful nymphs.

Callisto was the maid of honor of Artemis, goddess of the moon and the hunt, and was her constant companion.
Unbeknownst to Artemis, Callisto fell in love with Zeus and carried his child.

The story goes that an angry Artemis (or Hera, Zeus' wife), in a fit of jealous rage, hurls curses at her.
Callisto was transformed into a large bear in no time at all.

Disappearing into the forest, Callisto is later lifted into the sky with his son Arcas.
However, it is said that Zeus grabbed Callisto by the tail and threw her up into the sky, causing her tail to grow longer.

The Story of Ursa Major

Even the same constellation is viewed and has different anecdotes depending on the era.
We will introduce stories about Ursa Major in different eras and regions.

Mesopotamian civilization

Cart seat

Around 3000 BC, in ancient Mesopotamia, due to precession of the equinox the north celestial pole was the current pole star...

Ancient Egyptian Civilization

Meskhetiu

Of the unique constellation invented by the Ancient Egyptians, which have so far been reliably identified with modern constellation...

Ancient Greece

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Chinese Civilization

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  • Mesopotamian civilization
  • Ancient Egyptian Civilization
  • Ancient Greece
  • Chinese Civilization
  • Ainu
  • Edo period Japan
  • Japanese translation, kun reading
    Cart seat
  • Katakana, Onyomi
    Niguru Maza
  • Traditional Region
    Ancient Mesopotamia
  • Local Language Expressions
    (Mul)Mar-gid-da(シュメール語)
  • Tradition period
    4000 BC - 538 AD
  • Approximate location
    right ascension (a): 08h03m~14h29m
    declination (d) …55.54°
    ("Babylonian Star-lore" by Gavin White)
  • Degree of reliability
    The constituent stars have been identified
Source of the story
"The origin of constellation mythology: ancient Mesopotamian constellation" by Jiro Kondo, p78-83
  • Japanese translation, kun reading
    Meskhetiu (Big Dipper)
  • alphabet
    Meshetyu
  • Katakana, Onyomi
    Meskhetiu
  • Traditional Region
    Ancient Egypt
  • Local Language Expressions
    Meskhetyu
  • Tradition period
    2145 AD - 332 BC
  • Approximate location
    right ascension (a): 8h03m~14h29m
    declination (d) …55.54°
    (Idi's Coffin (2145 BC - 1795 BC))
  • Degree of reliability
    The constituent stars have been identified
Source of the story
"The origin of constellation mythology: constellation of the Egyptian Nile" by Jiro Kondo (Seibundo Shinkosha)
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