Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog

Thursday, June 2nd.  Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 21 minutes, setting at 9:21.   The moon, 1 day past new, will set at 10:21 this evening.  Tomorrow the sun will rise at 5:59.

The Big Dipper is high in the northwest at 11 p.m. now.  It’s handle is also the tail of the Great Bear or Ursa Major.  An Native American view of the bear was the the stars of the Big Dipper’s handle were not a tail, but hunters following the bear.  The star Mizar, at the bend of the handle has a dim companion called Alcor.  This was the cooking pot the hunters will cook the bear in.  The ancient Arabs saw these two stars as the Horse and the Rider, and it was an eye test for warriors.  If you could see Alcor, your eyesight was good enough.  Even with my glasses I can rarely see this dim star, so I suppose I’d be the Arabic equivalent of a 4F.  If you have a telescope, check out the Mizar-Alcor pair and you’ll find that Mizar has a close companion itself.

* Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan.  They may be different for your location.

Addendum

The Stars Mizar and Alcor in the Big Dipper. Cartes du Ciel