Now it's getting dark mid-evening again (hooray!) it's a lot easier to go out star spotting. The Big Dipper - the name we give to the seven brightest stars in Ursa Major, the Great Bear - dominates the northern sky, looking like a huge starry ladle hanging above the fells and trees. Anyone who sees the Big Dipper will also notice a bright yellow-white star to its left.
Arcturus is very easy for even the most novice stargazer to find. Simply continue the curve of the Big Dipper's handle onwards and you'll get to it. Or, as astronomers say, 'Arc to Arcturus.'
Noting its close proximity to Ursa Major, the Ancient Greeks named this star Arcturus, which means The Guardian of the Bear. It is the fourth brightest star in the sky, and relatively close too, just 37 light years away. That means when you look at it you're seeing it as it was in 1978, as the world was going Grease crazy!
Stuart Atkinson, Eddington Astronomical Society of Kendal
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