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04/15/2013 – Ephemeris – The Big Dipper and the Fisher

April 15, 2013 Comments off

Ephemeris for Tax deadline day* Monday, April 15th. The sun rises at 6:57. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 29 minutes, setting at 8:27. The moon, 3 days before first quarter, will set at 1:32 tomorrow morning.

The Big Dipper is nearly overhead in the evening now.  The Big Dipper is not a constellation but part of the Great Bear for most peoples, and is enshrined by the International Astronomical Union as Ursa Major.  To some of the Anishinabek peoples native to our region the stars of the Big Dipper belonged to a small weasel like animal call the Fisher.  In a story I can’t relate here Fisher brought summer to the earth, and for his trouble was killed by an arrow to his only vulnerable spot, his tail.  The Great Spirit would not let Fisher fall to earth, but placed him in the sky.  His rising in the northeast signals the coming of spring, and when his bloody tail brushes the horizon in autumn his blood paints the autumn leaves red.

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

Addendum

The Fisher

The Fisher or Fisher Star as seen Overhead and the Big Dipper. Created using Stellarium and some other help.