Ursa major

At the above mentioned months and time the Great Bear or Ursa Major composed of seven bright stars is visible high up in the sky to the north direction. The four stars forming a rectangle
depicts the body of the bear, while the remaining three will depict the tail. In some countries this constellation is
termed as Big dipper or as Saptharishi (Seven rishis).The two stars on the side of the head in the rectangle of great bear are called ‘indicator stars’.Connect these two stars by an imaginery line and
extend this line about five times downwards. It will lead you to the Pole star or Polaris which is a bright star.The special feature about this star is that its position never changes. Even in Sri lanka this star is found very low down in the horizon. But as you proceed to the countries in the North direction of the earth, it moves up from the horizon and in the north pole it is right on top of the sky.The reason for this star to remain stationery is because it is located directly above the North pole on the axis of rotation of the earth. Hence it is useful for navigators and for people travelling in deserts in the night. By this they can identify the North direction as well as the lattitude where they are. Pole star is situated in the constellation called little Bear or Ursa Minor.This is at the end of the bear’s tail.