this post was submitted on 19 Jul 2025
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Funny

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[–] Nougat@fedia.io 68 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The Big Dipper is a very small part of the great bear.

[–] njm1314@lemmy.world 51 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Also those other parts are a lot more visible when there's no light pollution like 2500 years ago.

[–] Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world 14 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Those extra stars don't really make it more bear looking.

[–] njm1314@lemmy.world 13 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Than just these seven? They absolutely do.

[–] Seleni@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Looks more like a drunk person drawing a stick horse to me

[–] remotelove@lemmy.ca 10 points 3 days ago

Where the fuck were you 2500 years ago? We could of had some kick-ass names and backstories for our night sky.

[–] Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

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.

[–] arrow74@lemmy.zip 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

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.

[–] whotookkarl@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

What? That's clearly a giraffe

[–] Hacksaw@lemmy.ca 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)
[–] Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

It's a schooner.

[–] bstix@feddit.dk 32 points 3 days ago (2 children)

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.

[–] Quill7513@slrpnk.net 11 points 3 days ago

some of our star stories go back 100k years. see: the Pleiades.

[–] meyotch@slrpnk.net 5 points 3 days ago

This user knows how to star-party!

[–] bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 22 points 3 days ago (4 children)
[–] threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I still don't see a bear. Which way is it facing?

[–] bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 2 points 1 day ago

To the right. Muscida is its nose.

The tail is a bit long and it's missing an arm.

[–] hansolo@lemmy.today 11 points 2 days ago

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.

[–] wjrii@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

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.

[–] vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Also it at least used to be identified as a medieval push hoe.

Isn't it also known as "The Plow" in some parts?

[–] pyre@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

bear lore from Björn

[–] SnekZone@lemmy.blahaj.zone 25 points 3 days ago (1 children)
[–] Hjalamanger@feddit.nu 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Yes, it's the karlavagn (the Karl wagon/cart)

[–] lime@feddit.nu 2 points 3 days ago

the man wagon

[–] Naz@sh.itjust.works 27 points 3 days ago (1 children)
[–] CoopaLoopa@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 days ago

The Medium Saucepan is my favorite constellation.

[–] PineRune@lemmy.world 13 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Norse people: it's a wagon! It's Odin's Wagon!

[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Or that of Karl, whomever the fuck that is 🤷

(It's called Karlsvognen here in Denmark, which means Karl's wagon)

[–] Hjalamanger@feddit.nu 1 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Same in Swedish, Karlavagnen ("the Karl wagon")

But its definitely a wagon, like who would think it's a bear?

[–] Uruanna@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

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 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

[–] starman2112@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 days ago (2 children)
[–] Karl@programming.dev 3 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

No, it's a bear's dih

More like em-bear-assing yourself while deep in the Retsina..

[–] pyre@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

I've always seen it as a kite

[–] niktemadur@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

That would be the rump and tail of the bear.