this post was submitted on 19 Jul 2025
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I still don't see a bear. Which way is it facing?
To the right. Muscida is its nose.
The tail is a bit long and it's missing an arm.
If you look at it without tons of light and air pollution, as the ancient Greeks would have, there are so many stars you can make a constellation look like anything you want.
Yup. While the bear with a tail is still kind of weird, Ursa major is one of the least weird constellations. "The Big Dipper" is an "asterism" according to the grad students at the planetarium I took my daughter to.
Also it at least used to be identified as a medieval push hoe.
Isn't it also known as "The Plow" in some parts?
bear lore from Björn
The bear name for those stars predates the ancient Greeks.
There's no known origin. It's present in languages of people that were separated at least 13000 years ago.
some of our star stories go back 100k years. see: the Pleiades.
This user knows how to star-party!
The Big Dipper is a very small part of the great bear.
Also those other parts are a lot more visible when there's no light pollution like 2500 years ago.
Those extra stars don't really make it more bear looking.
Than just these seven? They absolutely do.
How many long tailed bears were around in Ancient Greece? I saw a backwards interpretation that made more sense where the tail becomes the eye of the head.
Here's an actual photo of the night sky with all the minor stars. There's nothing there that even squinting gives the appearance of a bear.
What's funny is it very clearly see a bear there.
Not sure if I'd be able to make it out in person, but the image makes it so very clear to me.
What? That's clearly a giraffe
I see a horse
It's a schooner.
Looks more like a drunk person drawing a stick horse to me
Where the fuck were you 2500 years ago? We could of had some kick-ass names and backstories for our night sky.
And I stand by that.
Yes, it's the karlavagn (the Karl wagon/cart)
the man wagon
Obviously a bear
The Medium Saucepan is my favorite constellation.
I don't know my northern hemisphere stars, having never seen any, but that looks exactly like what we call "the pot" down in the southern hemisphere.
Your point still stands, but your example couldn't be shooting yourself in the foot any harder
Norse people: it's a wagon! It's Odin's Wagon!
Or that of Karl, whomever the fuck that is 🤷
(It's called Karlsvognen here in Denmark, which means Karl's wagon)
Same in Swedish, Karlavagnen ("the Karl wagon")
But its definitely a wagon, like who would think it's a bear?
They didn't think the big dipper was the bear. The bear is much bigger than the dipper alone.
Greek dudes who have had a shitload of retsina? 🤷
I've always seen it as a kite
No, it's a bear's ass
No, it's a bear's dih
More like em-bear-assing yourself while deep in the Retsina..
That would be the rump and tail of the bear.