Big Dipper rising is sure sign of spring
THE Plough in spring is an excellent signpost to find other constellations and patterns of stars in the night sky.
The Plough – also known as the Big Dipper – is an easily recognisable saucepan-shaped pattern of stars in the northern sky.
If there is one star pattern that most people know about, it’s the Plough.
During Spring, it is pretty much overhead through the night and makes a useful stellar signpost.
The name of the Plough probably meant more to people in the past than in modern times, when you’re only likely to see a plough hanging on the wall of a pub.
Even the more American and has been used for celestial navigation for centuries.
Most people expect the Pole Star to be exceptionally bright but its significance lies in it being useful rather than brilliant.
Try to find the Pole Star, using those pointers as a guide, and you instantly know which direction is north.
You can also take this further.
The angle of the Pole Star above the horizon is the same as your latitude (part of your position on the Earth).
In Shetland, for example, which is about 60 degrees north, the Pole Star is 60 degrees above the horizon.
Further south in Ayr (55oN), the Pole Star appears about 55 degrees above the horizon.