Mova Globes

Right now Chandra is studying a galaxy in Ursa Major. Nearby in this dwarf galaxy, stars are forming at a furious rate! The galaxy, known as I Zwicky 18, is located about 59 million light years from Earth.

The constellation name, Ursa Major, means Big Bear. The “bear” association has its origins in two major civilizations which saw two very different bears in the sky. The Greeks who named this constellation (later translated into the Latin name we use today) thought that the stars outlined the shape of a bear walking about on its clawed feet. It and its smaller companion, Ursa Minor were said to be the prey of Boötes and his hunting dogs. The long cat-like tail on the bears was part of the ancient pattern and is somewhat of a mystery. A story in Ovid tried to offer an explanation. In that myth, Zeus fell in love with Callisto. Hera changed her into a bear out of jealousy. Her son Arcus (the namesake of Arcturus, the alternate name for the constellation Boötes) came upon her in the forest and she ran to greet him. Not knowing the bear was his mother, he was about to kill her. To save her, Zeus turned Arcus into a smaller bear, grabbed them both by their tails and flung them into the sky, causing their tails to be stretched. A number of Native American tribes also referred to this constellation as a bear, but with a clever addition. In their description of these stars, the bear is the same, but without the “tail”. Instead, those three stars are three hopeful hunters, and the middle one is carrying a cooking pot for cooking up the bear. Johannes Hevelius’ Ursa Major from Uranographia (1690) The most common pattern seen in this constellation is composed of a smaller group of the brightest stars (called an asterism) that outline the Big Dipper. This name comes from many different cultures which have seen in these stars a long handled spoon, often used for dipping water for drinking. Others call this pattern a plow, seeing instead of a dipper, an old-style, ox-pulled farm plow. The plow pattern, pulled by oxen, is the shape referenced in the myth of the Triones, the oxen and plow driven by Bootes the herder. The Egyptians and the Chinese saw different associations. Even in relatively more modern times, early European civilizations continued to invent new meanings for this pattern.

Constellation map from: http://www.lunarplanner.com/StarsProperMotion/UrsaMajor/

For a list of objects in Ursa Major that Chandra has observed and article, see link:  http://chandra.si.edu/photo/constellations/ursamajor.html

Two stars of the DI Cha star system shine through the center of… http://bit.ly/2EvkfPI

Hey!! I find marine biology super cool, but everyone tells me I won't get a stable salary from it. Any advice?

Hello!! So sorry about the late reply. Anyway, I understand your struggle with people constantly wondering about the financial stability of a scientific career. For some scientific careers, especially those relating to marine biology, it is hard to estimate earnings because there are so many different pathways to chose from. What I mean by this is that your could take your passion for the ocean and work in many different places doing vastly different things. For example, you could work at a university teaching students and researching, or you could work in an aquarium taking care of animals, or you could work at a private research company/consulting firm. Each of these paths have different salary ranges. Another thing about marine biology is that it is a highly competitive field (and may be one of the reasons why people see this career as less stable than others.) 

I will not lie to you and say that marine biology careers are the most lucrative option out there; however, this does not mean that you cannot make a stable salary! Marine science careers, in my opinion, are more about your passion and drive to discover, educate, or conserve. So my main advice would be to continue doing what you love. If you are passionate about marine biology you will find that the advantages far outweigh the few downfalls. Also if you are not quiet sure if a career in marine sciences is your calling then you still have plenty of time to figure it out. Try interning or volunteering where you may be able to earn some experience.

Sorry about my rambling!! I hope it helped at least. 

And if it didn’t I highly suggest you check out SciAll.org’s YouTube channel. He has some cool videos. The video I linked here may help to answer your question.

Thank you so much and have a Thresher Shark for the road!!

vdB 31